South West Nurses Stage "Work-In" to defend standards

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday ....

Government Destroying NHS Direct Services

UNISON nurses and health advisors in the South West are taking action to highlight the threat to the services currently provided by NHS Direct.

Nursing and Health advisors providing NHS Direct helpline services to Cornwall and the South West based at Exeter are today (1 May) holding a ‘work-in’ in protest against the Government’s plans to replace NHS Direct with a service that has not been properly evaluated.




From midnight last night until to midnight tonight, NHS Direct staff in Exeter are staging a ‘work-in’, with extra staff voluntarily coming in, in their own time, to help staff the NHS Direct phone lines. The protest is over the roll out of the 111 service which will replace NHS Direct. The union is deeply concerned that the roll out has not been properly evaluated, and could compromise the level of out of hours service that patients receive, as well as pile extra pressure onto other NHS services such as A&E and GP surgeries.




The main centre is at Exeter, but they will be joined by nurses and health advisors from Bristol, Plymouth, Torquay, Taunton and Truro. During that time, they expect call rates to increase between 10% and 13% tomorrow.




Michael Walker, UNISON National Officer, said:


“UNISON nurses and health advisors will be taking action on Mayday today, to urge the Department of Health to stop the roll out of the proposed 111 service until it has been fully evaluated.


“UNISON is particularly concerned that the new 111 service has fewer nurses available to take calls and therefore unqualified staff will be unable to carry out vital clinical assessments. This will inevitably lead to a huge increase in accident and emergency department attendances, ambulance call outs and patients referred to GP surgeries.


“We fear that the increase volume of patient turn-up at the regions A&E departments will push many to breaking point. We estimate up to 50 extra patients a day could present themselves to A&E departments and 1,000 extra ambulance call outs. We’ve also looked at the costs involved in replacing NHS Direct with the new 111 service and estimate the costs will run into millions of pounds; not to mention the cost to the quality of services provided.

“The reduced scope of the new 111 service also means that vital dental and contraceptive advice will be discontinued as will services to those suffering mental health problems from patients engaged in self harm or depression.”

UNISON nursing representative and NHS Direct Nurse, Michelle Goodman, said:

“I am concerned the NHS will fail some of our patients with mental health issues. We have been very successful in organising our training and using the experience of senior nurses in order to provide a range of help and support. I don’t think this has really been considered by those planning and implementing the new 111 service.”

UNISON remains concerned that services to rural communities will be seriously affected by the move as those with injuries or young children will have to travel hundreds of miles to receive advice and treatment, advice that could have been provided by phone by a qualified trained nurse.

UNISON and other health organisations such as the BMA are calling for a pause in the implementation of the 111 service in order to consider the implications for urgent out of hours care as a whole.


The South West is the first location where action is taking place to highlight the concerns in the changes from the NHS Direct service to the 111 service .There will be further action in NHSD (NHS Direct) sites around the country.



Because 111 lacks qualified nurses to do Clinical assessments it will result in:-

An extra 50 patients a day at every A and E

And 1000 extra ambulance call outs at £800 a time

5th May Referendum on NHS Privatisation

No Prime Minster - Don't Insult NHS Nurses

No Prime Minster - Don't insult NHS Nurses

Millionaire and Eton Educated Tory Prime Minister David Cameron has been accused of insulting NHS staff.

In his interview on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning, while launching the Governments NHS privatisation agenda he said, in relation to the NHS, that

"Britain shouldn't put up with a "second rate" service."

John Healey, the shadow health secretary, said: "David Cameron also seems to see the NHS as second rate when everybody else has seen big improvements by Labour in recent years and public satisfaction is now at an all time high.

Nora Pearce UNISON Nursing Convenor at Kingston Hospital stated "The NHS has the highest approval rates in its history, It is delivering in very difficult circumstances. The Prime Ministers statements are an insult to millions of hard working NHS nurses and professional staff."

NHS Direct - U Turn

U-TURN OVER CLOSURE OF NHS DIRECT

Commenting on reports that Health Minister Andrew Lansley has denied plans to shut down NHS Direct, Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said:

³This is great news for patients and for staff at NHS Direct. The service that NHS Direct offers is tried and tested and is of great value to the public, as the outcry over the threat of closure shows. The service provides a reassuring voice for worried parents in the middle of the night and is a well of advice that the public can tap into 24 hours a day, especially those in rural communities. Andrew Lansley should not have put nurses and staff in fear of their jobs in this way

³I am sure staff will still be confused and worried that the Government may have another change of heart. I would like a guarantee from the health minister that the 1,300 nurses working for NHS Direct will still have a job there this time next year.²

Michael Walker, UNISON national Officer for NHS Direct Staff, said:

³This sounds like fantastic news and a victory for common sense. It shows the effectiveness of the Unions campaign against the threat to axe NHS Direct. There has been a real groundswell of opposition from the public, with thousands of people signing a petition against the closure.

³The service employs 3,400 NHS dedicated specialist nurses and professionals and provides expert help - taking more than 27,000 calls a day. It successfully takes the pressure off the emergency services and from busy GP surgeries.

³However, I think we still need to be vigilant. I want to hear more detail of Andrew Lansley¹s announcement today, to make sure that staff and the valuable service they provide, are truly protected in the longer term."

"UNISON congratulates NHS Direct staff and their union reps for getting behind the campaign and making their views known to the public"

UNISON 0845 355 0845