1. National Secretary Health Roger Kline
Roger Kline
Following a short period of illness, from which he has now fully recovered, Roger Kline is leaving the employment of MSF at his own request. "I’ve enjoyed my time with MSF," says Roger. "We’ve achieved a great deal for our members and I’d like to think that I’ve laid the foundations for greater gains to come."
General Secretary Roger Lyons says, "We wish Roger well. He has consolidated MSF’s position as the union for professional staff in the NHS and he will be remembered for his unique contribution."
With immediate effect, National Secretary Roger Spiller will take over responsibility for leading MSF’s work in the NHS and National Secretary Chris Ball will assume responsibility for Roger’s work leading on working environment issues. Other changes in coverage will be announced in due course.
Roger Spiller is looking forward to meeting and working with many of you as possible in the near future. His Secretarial Assistant is Preeti Farooki.
2. Health Section Office
Thank you for your patience during the recent move of the Health Section Office. We apologise that many of you had difficulty in contacting the office. Many of our communications systems have now been restored and full normal service has returned.
The contact details for staff members are as follows:
A revised list of MSF Officer responsibilities for NHS professions and occupations will be circulated with the next Reps Direct.
3. Pathology Mapping
Following on from the recent Pathology pay deal a new recruitment leaflet has been produced detailing recent gains on the pay front and those issues that remain outstanding. Copies will be circulated by your Regional Centre in the next few days. It is important to maintain the momentum of this ground breaking deal by using the leaflet as a focus for active recruitment and organising in your workplace.
To order these directly please contact Ann Angiolini (details above) at the Health Section Office.
4. Deals on Wheels
A brief on this campaign is attached. This campaign effects all MSF members working in the Community.
5. PPP and Pathology
MSF is presently part of a working group looking at the implications of the reference to Public Private Partnerships and Pathology in the NHS Plan. These discussions are still continuing.
We understand that as a result of this reference a number of Trusts are looking at this issue. Please know that any Trust based initiative is taking place outside these talks and existing PFI/Market Guidance that precludes outsourcing Pathology to a private sector company on the basis that it is a clinical service.
Please notify Colin Adkins (details above) in the NHS Section Office if you hear about any developments on this front.
6. Surveys
Medical Technical Officers (MTOs): Thank you for completing this survey. This is presently being analysed by Sarah Carpenter, the Lead Officer for MTOs.
School Nurses: There is evidence of grade drift within this Community Nurse grade. To ascertain the full extent of this problem a survey has been produced. Please ensure that this is circulated around all School Nurses in your Trust. A copy is available from Colin Adkins (details above).
Medical Laboratory Assistants (MLAs): A survey covering this group of poorly paid scientific staff will soon be circulated. For further information on the MSF MLA Network contact Rachel Maskell on 01279 755377 or maskellr@msf.org.uk.
7. Changing Workforce Programme
The Changing Workforce Programme, has had a budget and work programme approved by ministers. This programme is going to change the way that staff work in the NHS.
They are currently advertising for staff to design and manage pilot sites. The adverts have been placed in Nursing Times, Therapy Weekly, BMJ, HSJ, New Scientist. The pilot sites are in different areas of health care and different areas of the country.
8. Individual Learning Accounts
Information and briefing packs on NHS Individual Learning Account scheme are available from wwwdoh.gov.uk/nhsila or e-mail info.ila@doh.gsi.gov.uk.
DEALS ON WHEELS CAMPAIGN
The Deals on Wheels campaign has been running for nearly one year and the New Year is a suitable time to review progress and clarify objectives for 2001.
Mileage Allowances
Last summer, the General Whitley Council increased the Regular User Allowance by 4p a mile from 29p, with a similar increase for the Standard User Allowance, giving a new rate of 43p.
These paltry rises that in no way reflected the hike in petrol prices over the previous two years.
As the word interim suggests the Department of Health was looking for a more long-term settlement of the issue of mileage allowances. This focused on restructuring or to use contemporary parlance modernisation of the system.
This focused on restructuring the allowances to give a disincentive to the use of larger engine vehicles in line with the Government's environmental driven measures on car use. The key issue for us is whether additional resources are pumped into the system to improve mileage rates.
This is our focus at seemingly interminable meetings. However, we remain hopeful that an offer is imminent but also remain cautious of the ability of the Department to rescue discontent from an apparent more optimistic outlook.
This does raise questions about those colleagues who are on Trust terms. In our experience these agreements give at best equal compensation and at worst wholly inferior terms to those under Whitley. The existence of Trust terms is out of keeping with the Government's drive to modernise the NHS pay system.
Reps Action: Are Community Staff on Trust Mileage terms? If yes, work out whether this makes you better or worse off. If these make you worse off raise at the next Staff Side meeting a joint approach to get all Community Staff onto Whitley mileage terms in order that you can benefit from any upgrading of mileage allowances.
Lease Cars
These are a mess. When they were introduced in 1988 it was claimed they would be better for staff and employers. In fact they have badly penalised staff in every sense – mileage rates, lump sums, mileage rules, damage incurred and so on.
Arrangements differ from Trust to Trust and even between professions. We are seeking a new framework nationally for these. MSF/CPHVA wants this to be as prescriptive as possible to prevent trusts using such schemes as a money-spinner. It is the key issue we want to link to improvements in mileage rates.
However, these are unlikely to be a major priority during the period when the NHS pay modernisation talks are still very much in progress.
Reps Action: Raise at your Staff Side meeting a request that your Trust proposes a regional wide framework for lease cars. The first approaches of this kind are being made in Scotland. A successful regional wide agreement could prove to be a template for a future national framework. Our governing principles on any framework are that the car is a tool of the trade for Community Staff and equality between professions or between staff and management.
Parking
We have argued for a badge system for all community health staff not just GPs. Some large Cities like London have an emergency badge system but in most cases this does not address the needs of Community Staff who need to park freely during the course of their day to day work in meeting clients. Therefore this is still an outstanding issue.
Due to our campaign there is a strong possibility that an inter-Ministerial letter will be sent by the Department of Health to the Department of the Environment and the Regions (DETR), proposing a pilot scheme for a badge with a wider application. The Minister for London is responsible for parking in the City is based at the DETR.
Reps Action: If you work in London write to Keith Hill the Minister for London supporting the idea of a pilot badge scheme. If you work in another large City or Town discover who is responsible for parking and propose a pilot scheme. For those with devolved Parliaments or Assemblies approach your local politician.
Taxation
MSF met with Dawn Primarolo when she was a shadow Treasury Minister and obtained assurances of an early review to consider moving NHS car usage out of the "perk" taxation category. She is now the real thing and nothing whatsoever has happened except a statement that the planned revisions to the tax treatment of lease cars would favour Community Staff by rewarding use of smaller engine vehicles. This is small solace as the basic principle of the car as a tool of trade is not recognised. If we all went to work on bikes, the system would soon grind to a halt! MSF will be using its influence with Government to reinforce our case in the run-up to the General Election.
Reps Action: Use any forthcoming election to make your case on car taxation to your local politician.
Political Lobbying
A lobby of the Scottish Parliament has only recently taken place.
Progress may appear to have been slow, but I can assure you that Ministers, MPs and civil servants are very conscious of the Deals on Wheels campaign. Only by further pressure will more movement be achieved.
We hope this update has been useful. Should you have further inquiries, please ring MSF Health Section Research Officer Colin Adkins (020 7505 3167), Shaun Noble (020 7939 7043) or your MSF Regional Officer.
DON’T TAKE YOUR FOOT OF THE PEDAL