About...the Healthcare Commission
This section covers: Hot news | The big picture | The reps | Recognition | History | Structure
This page was last updated: 30 September 2008
hot news!
- Healthcare Commission 2008 Pay Offer
Against the background of Government controls on public sector wage increases, negotiations on the 2008 pay claim started in June at the JNC, and led to a formal offer being made on 11th September. In spite of the concerns repeatedly raised by your reps, once again rises were related to performance ratings, and for many staff the increase will not match inflation.
| Performance Rating | Increase % |
|---|---|
| 1 - 'Exceed' | + 5.00% |
| 2 - 'Fully Met' | + 3.75% |
| 3 - 'Partly Met' | + 2.75% |
| 4 - 'Not Met' | No Increase |
| 5 - Mat Leave/ Long-Term Sickness | +0.00%-5.00% determined on case-by-case basis |
| 6 - Not Eligible | No increase will apply |
Members were consulted on whether to accept the offer, and respondees mainly wished to accept the offer - more in recognition of the difficult background to the negotiations than in enthusiasm for what was on offer. Our colleagues in the other recognised trade unions similarly favoured accepting the offer.
Your reps will continue to push for improvements in the pay scheme as we move to CQC.
- CQC
The CQC transition news, now on the new CQC intranet, is providing a regular update on what is happening as we move to the new organisation. Expectations are that the tier 4 structure will be available by the end of October, with the "matching and slotting" of old posts to new starting from early November.
Unfortunately we know that not all of the old posts will match new ones. The complaints function is not being transferred, while tier 3 posts in CQC will be recruited via ring fenced competition. The Healthcare Commission therefore started (on 23 September) a 90 day consultation exercise with the trade unions on potential redundancies in these areas. At the time of writing the number of potential redundancies is unclear. It is at difficult times like these that the experience of the full time union reps comes to the fore to help achieve the best outcome for the staff involved.
The big picture
The government has announced the forthcoming merger of the Healthcare Commission with the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and the Mental Health Act Commission (MHAC). The new organisation, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), will be up and running from 01 April 2009 but it is envisaged that it will be a further 12 months before the three organisations have totally merged functions. Baroness Young has just been appointed as Chair of the shadow CQC so it is likely that the Chief Executive will be appointed shortly. The Department of Health has established the ‘Health and Social Care Regulation Joint Partnership Forum’ to ensure that recognised unions and their members are fully informed about all significant aspects of the programme. There are an immense number of issues yet to be resolved – including the highly important one of location.
representatives
There are four categories of representatives: steward, health & safety rep, union learning rep and workplace contact. Please refer to 'The Basics' tab on your right for more information.
The following list sets out the representatives by location within the Healthcare Commission:
| Representative: Name | Representative: Type |
|---|---|
| Ian Horrigan | Steward |
| Emmanuel Oyewole | Health & Safety Rep |
| Darren Smith | Steward |
| Sam Whaley | Steward |
| Chris Wood | Health & Safety Rep |
| Representative: Name | Representative: Type |
|---|---|
| John Crofts | Steward & UNISON staff forum rep |
| Representative: Name | Representative: Type |
|---|---|
| Michele Golden | Steward |
Thought about being a rep?
The union is founded on its members and we always encourage lay members who are interested in becoming a representative - even if they only want to distribute information locally as a workplace contact. This is especially the case in those regions/ offices where we currently do not have representation. It certainly need not be onerous and you'd be helping to make a difference in raising the profile of UNISON. So if you work in the South West or Central regions then we would especially like to hear from you although additional interest from within Finsbury Tower and the North region would be highly appreciated.
Recognition
For the purposes of bargaining, the Healthcare Commission recognises UNISON, RCN (Royal College of Nursing), Amicus and Prospect. Stewards of these unions represent staff on the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) on all issues relating to pay and to terms and conditions. The Healthcare Commission is not part of the Agenda for Change programme.
Organisational history
The Healthcare Commission was established under the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards Act 2003 and is known in legislation by its full name, the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection. The Commission came into being on 1 April 2004 and has the general function of encouraging improvement in the provision of health care by and for NHS bodies in England and Wales.
The Commission’s functions include the work previously undertaken by the Commission for Health Improvement, the private and voluntary healthcare work of the National Care Standards Commission (both of these organisations ceased to exist on 31 March 2004) and the Audit Commission's work relating to value for money in healthcare. The Commission has also been given a range of new functions including handling the second stage of the NHS complaints process and the coordination of reviews into healthcare. The Commission published its new Annual Health Check in October 2006 that provides in-depth performance measurements of NHS trusts.
Organisational structure
In addition to its London-based head office, there are additional offices in Bristol, Nottingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester and Solihull. The latter are often co-located with CSCI (Commission for Social Care Inspection) and MHAC (Mental Health Act Commission).