Editor: Lui.Giacomello @ luht.scot.nhs.

uk
www.facebook.com\UNISONNews

29 June 2012

www.twitter.com\UNISONNews

UNISON News 395

CONSULTATION
After the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) decision to raise its yearly registration fee from 76 to 120, UNISON is calling on all members to sign an e-petition in order to get the issue debated in the UK parliament.
The e-petition is at: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/34101 Over 45,000 people have already signed the petition and when a petition reaches 100,000 signatures it has to be debated in the House of Commons. The NMC is trying to justify the 58% increase in fees by claiming that it is due to a rise in the number of fitness to practice cases and the costs associated with them. UNISON says that serious questions need to be asked about the financial management of the troubled regulatory body, which has been in special measures since 2008, and has had 6 chief executives and 3 chairs in that time. Registration with the NMC is, in effect, a licence to practise and is compulsory for any nurse or midwife wishing to practise in the UK. Unlike other health workers such as admin & clerical or ancillary staff who are also struggling to make ends meet, nurses and midwives must pay professional registration fees every year or they cannot work. Have your say on the NMC proposals at: www.snapsurveys.com/sol1/swh/ surveylogin.asp?k=133838818964 UNISON will be responding to this consultation nationally however it is important that you also tell them what you think.

Gail Adams, UNISON Head of Nursing said: Hard pressed nurses and midwives will rightly be very angry about plans to make them pay more to allow them to work. Not only have nurses and midwives had their pay frozen for 2 years, with 2 more years of pay austerity on the horizon, they are also having to pay more for their pensions. The UK government should start applying serious scrutiny to the NMC and it must also step in and persuade the council that now is not the time to raise its fees. Health workers should not have to pay the price for the NMCs own failures and for the UK governments failure to police this body properly. UNISON is calling on the NMC to undertake an urgent review of its financial systems and has made it clear that it does not support the NMC fees increase.

UNISON supports the calls for modernisation of our public services, but we believe that public service workers must be part of the solution. Investment, leadership, good management, sustained work, training and consultation with staff and service users are all required to move forward. UNISON News is written to inform members in UNISON Lothian Health. Information included in UNISON News is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. UNISON News accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. The views expressed in UNISON News are not necessarily those of UNISON Lothian Health or the union.