Unite is not only the biggest union in the country leading the fight against the Government’s dangerous proposals for the NHS, we are also unique in representing such a wide breadth of professional organisations and occupations who work in the NHS. We want to make sure the voice of our professional and occupational groups is heard in the debate about what is happening to the NHS now.

The Unite 4 OUR NHS campaign has been launched to oppose the cuts and privatisations in the NHS and fight to protect NHS workers terms and conditions and pensions. Unite’s campaigning has had a huge impact locally and nationally in both halting and slowing down threatened NHS privatisations and we must continue to support our activists in their local campaigns fighting the break-up and fragmentation of our NHS.

Presentations from the recent SHHA Study Day held in London are now available for download. Presentations include:

* GMFA’s National PN Service
* SSHA’s PN Audit
* Don’t Forget the Children (Untested children of mothers with HIV)
* Outreach Partner Notification…5 years on
* Addressing the long term psychosocial and medico-legal needs of HIV positive patients

The Freedom of Information Act has been used by a number of organisations to question trade union facility time across the public sector. Unite believes that these actions are part of an attempt to undermine and weaken trade unions’ legitimate role in the workplace.
Trade Union Facility Time is a crucial union resource and if seriously undermined could acutely jeopardise the ability of the unions to represent members effectively.

The joint trade unions are determined that the voice of NHS staff should be heard loudly and clearly in the debate around pay and in the evidence to this year’s NHS Pay Review Body that will recommend how much AfC pay scales should be increased by.

Applications are invited from public health workers across Wales to the Public Health Practitioner Portfolio Development Support Programme (2010-11). Through this programme practitioners will be able to access a range of support in developing portfolios of evidence against the UK Public Health Register’s (UKPHR) Public Health Practitioner (Draft) Standards for Registration.

Please find, for your information the recently revised version of the AfC handbook dated 25th January 2010 . In particular I draw your attention to Annex A 2 which now incorporates the FAQs into the handbook.