Needless care home deaths can be prevented if staff get safety kit they need, says UNISON

Tuesday 5 May 2020 For immediate release Responding to figures published today (Tuesday) by the Office for National Statistics showing care home deaths linked to coronavirus have increased by more than 2,500 in a week, UNISON assistant general secretary Christina McAnea said:“Each of these deaths is a tragedy for the families who have lost a loved one. “It’s […]

COVID-19: Black and female workers – more impacted than the rest

Anyone can be infected by COVID-19. But it’s increasingly clear that that’s where the equality ends UNISON believes that the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on different groups is devastatingly different and is becoming increasingly clear. In evidence to parliament this week, the union asserted that COVID-19 is tracking and deepening long-term inequalities in our […]

NHS organisations must be honest with staff over PPE stocks, says UNISON

Friday 17 April 2020 For immediate release   Commenting on the emergency measures published today (Friday) by Public Health England, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “These are absolute worst case scenario measures, which staff hope their organisations won’t have to implement.   “No part of the NHS should use this move as an excuse to […]

UNISON challenges government’s claim that education staff don’t need PPE

Union raises strong concerns with Department for Education’s latest guidance UNISON has written to the Department for Education, after its updated guidance on social distancing in education settings said that education staff do not require personal protective equipment (PPE). While the union understands that the risks in schools are different to those in hospitals, it is […]

Frontline staff need real protection

UNISON says ‘desperate measures’ in leaked plans could lead to preventable deaths Frontline staff must be properly equipped to protect lives during the COVID-19 crisis, says UNISON, after ‘last-resort’ proposals on safety equipment were leaked. General secretary Dave Prentis said that the proposals from Public Health England contain “desperate measures” and “are a shocking indictment […]