ARC Motions 2008/2
Secondary Agenda
- Conference calls on the CSP to raise awareness among physiotherapy staff of the potential implications for the professional duty of care of working in teams with staff shortages. The following options should be investigated:
- the creation of a brief in-service training package that safety representatives can present to their members
- a ‘say no’ campaign to be published in Frontline and at Conference
- making new and current guidance on addressing staff shortages free of charge (‘Calculating Staffing Levels’ and ‘Making the Business Case’ cost £7.50 and £8 respectively).
In this current climate of redundancy and reorganisation, staff shortages are becoming common place. The pressure is on to deliver the impossible, for individuals to somehow cover the workload of several staff. In these situations, mistakes can easily be made and not all physiotherapy staff realise that it is they who are liable, or that they have the right to say ‘no’. New graduates are particularly vulnerable as it can be difficult to say no to senior staff or management. The CSP must ensure that all of its members are aware of their rights, before physiotherapy staff are left in positions of liability.
National group of regional safety representatives
- This Conference calls on the CSP to launch a concerted membership advertising campaign for steward recruitment. In our region we have some areas where we have little or no steward cover and despite local campaigns in workplaces have been unsuccessful in recruiting new stewards.
In these changing and challenging times in the NHS it is imperative that all workplaces have good representation. We believe that an urgent and large advertising campaign in Frontline would help in our efforts to recruit more stewards by confronting the membership with the economic realities and how good representation is essential to achieving the best outcome possible.
The need for good steward representation in all workplaces has never been greater in these times of restructuring and outsourcing. Many trusts are undergoing wholesale service reconfiguration and there is little confidence in job security. Bandings achieved during Agenda for Change seem ever open to change unless they were already lower than the national consistency would have anticipated.
South west south stewards
- This Conference requests that the CSP fully recognise and encourage the use of the title of ‘Chartered Veterinary Physiotherapist’ and ‘Chartered Animal Physiotherapist’ for its members who are part of the Clinical Interest Group ACPAT and thus practice animal physiotherapy.
Physiotherapists to humans are lucky enough to have their professional title protected by law. However animal physiotherapists can arise from routes that may not offer such regulation as those who have qualified as Chartered Physiotherapists. This leaves physiotherapists who’ve completed additional postgraduate training as well as being regulated by the standards of the CSP, having to compete with others not regulated by a professional body or the HPC. This is an immediate disadvantage that can be offset with the title Chartered Veterinary Physiotherapist/Chartered Animal Physiotherapist. Therefore only those with recognised physiotherapy training to a high and recognised level (ie those who are MCSP) would be able to use this title. This would be a mark of quality of care to the animals and instantly recognisable to the referring veterinary surgeon and client.
Student executive committee
- This Conference calls upon the CSP to provide information resources for members, safety representatives and managers and work with other health worker unions to encourage and support employers to have a proactive rather than reactive approach to provision for bariatric clients.
Clients come in all shapes and sizes and the frequency of less “mainstream” proportions and weights is increasing. These clients require special considerations for equipment and staffing. This equipment is not available as quickly as standard items and therefore needs to be anticipated in advance. This is often not possible, putting patients and staff at risk. Members also report feelings of conflict when using extra manpower and/or time required working with these clients with potentially complex manual handling issues. Planning and preparation for this issue is variable and this motion seeks to address this inequity and potential hazard.
Eastern stewards
- This Conference calls upon the CSP to join forces with other unions to lobby the Government, the Department of Health, and Strategic Health Authorities to ensure that the All Wales NHS Manual Handling Training Passport and Information Scheme is rolled out to England.
- This Conference calls upon the CSP to work with the Royal College of Midwives and the DoH, to develop a strategy to address the impact of the cuts in maternity services throughout the UK on physiotherapy services.
- Violence towards NHS staff is becoming increasingly prevalent. The risk of harm is a very real concern to all staff, particularly when trusts are diverting more physiotherapy services into the community and in turn increasing the number of members undertaking lone working.
We call on the CSP to:
- encourage employers to conduct induction risk assessments in relation to violence and aggression, especially in lone working situations
- support the appointment of local security management specialists
- encourage investment in new technologies in protecting staff working in vulnerable situations.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines work-related violence as:
Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work.
Violence and abuse remains a major issue for NHS trusts and their staff. Staff should be able to come to work without fear of violence, abuse or harassment from patients, relatives or other professionals. Evidence shows that less than two-thirds of incidents relating to violence are even reported. Physiotherapists frequently work in isolated, high risk situations that haven’t been properly risk assessed. Violence and abuse towards a member of staff should never be considered as ‘part of the job’.
National group of regional safety representatives
- This Conference acknowledges the process and right to reference back Council responses to motions approved from the previous year. Conference considers that there is not enough information given to delegates to fully inform the debate on reference back motions. Time allotted to present reference back is short and delegates do not have enough opportunity to reflect on:
- what was called for in the original motion
- what action was taken by Council
- reasons for reference back
Conference asks the ARC Agenda Committee to revise the ARC Constitution to increase the time allowed and provide delegates with written information prior to Conference commencing to assist in the process of informed debate.
We were unhappy about the outcome of the reference back of a Council response in the 2007 ARC. It was clear that delegates did not have enough information to make an informed vote. The vote was lost, we would argue, by the very high number of abstentions. ‘Reference back’ occurs right at the start of ARC and with the absence of any information provided in advance, delegates (who may not have been at the previous ARC) are asked to consider important decisions in a very short time period. We want to improve the process for all.
Welsh board
- This Conference requests that the CSP develop the existing work on unexpected events to include rehabilitation and exercise programmes that are implemented for patients with acute and chronic respiratory disease. A reporting system should be developed to enable reporting of events anonymously and without fear of recrimination, and may be used in future, to inform patients of any likely risk associated with treatment.
Increasing recognition of physical training as a beneficial treatment for patients with respiratory disease has led to the development of rehabilitation programmes in diverse populations and environments. Whilst this is a positive step in the management of chronic illness, clinical governance requires that we fully inform patients of treatment benefits and risks. Presently we do not know the risk of rehabilitation for people with chronic illness, and while likely to be very small, we require a central site to anonymously report unexpected and adverse events associated with all respiratory treatments. Recent discussion of iCSP concerning adverse events highlights this.
Association of chartered physiotherapists in respiratory care
- While CSP members were dealing with the process of assimilation onto Agenda for Change, the issues of titles for staff was not seen as a priority. However, now it is becoming increasingly important for staff to be given advice about what titles may be suitable for us to use.
Conference calls on the CSP to issue recommendations to the membership on suitable job titles now Agenda for Change assimilation is almost complete.
Staff sit on multi disciplinary teams and simply being called “physiotherapist” downgrades their status. We need to promote the extensive skills we have but staff feel slightly lost since assimilation.
The cost to the CSP would be minimal and the benefit in the workplace huge.
Scottish stewards
- With the increase in childhood obesity and in back pain among children and young adults, Conference calls on the CSP to lobby the Health Executive in all four countries to instigate a clear plan to encourage mainstream education to embrace the benefits of physiotherapy for health promotion and illness prevention.
Physiotherapists are increasingly having to deal with problems associated with obesity and poor ergonomics in the education system. Yet we have difficulty getting access to the education system for health promotion and illness prevention.
Trying to secure funding for this type of work would be almost impossible and yet the benefits could be huge. This needs government involvement which needs lobbying in a concerted way.
Scottish stewards
- This Conference recognises that the CSP provides substantial legal and representation benefits. However, Conference is concerned that there are gaps appearing in legal representation and asks the CSP to explore the possibility of additional optional insurance cover for members to cover:
- total loss of earnings for members who may face lengthy interim suspension orders from the HPC stopping them from earning as a physiotherapist for up to one year
- cover from criminal cases if the current legal aid arrangements change substantially and make it extremely expensive to continue with free CSP legal aid.
Current benefits include:
- free legal representation for any member faced with an HPC complaint of serious professional misconduct
- free legal advice on a range of other general and domestic legal situations
- free legal representation for physiotherapists faced with criminal charges in connection with their work as physiotherapists.
There is the prospect of lengthy interim suspensions from the HPC register following a complaint prior to a main hearing being held. This could mean that members (particularly those who are self-employed) have a long period of loss of earnings and livelihood, that once again cold have severe financial implications.
Clinical interest groups liaison committee
- This Conference notes the first national partnership agreement reached by the NHS Social Partnership Forum for England in 2007. Conference calls on the CSP to monitor the impact of this new agreement during 2008 and its ability to identify and spread good practice across the four countries.
- Conference calls upon the CSP to join forces with the Health and Safety Executive and other trade unions to establish a workplace regulation on a legal maximum temperature in which we can work.
- This Conference calls on the CSP to campaign for trusts to provide laundry facilities for those staff required to wear uniforms and ensure the amount of uniform provided is adequate.
- We are dismayed by the loss of debating time at ARC and ask that all motions either on the primary or secondary agenda that are not debated should in future be remitted to Council. Groups submit motions because they believe strongly that they should be part of CSP policy and wish to hear the views of the membership on their motions. This we believe is part of being a democratic organisation. If motions are lost because of the loss of debating time then we ask that the ARC constitution be amended immediately to allow the lost motions to be remitted to Council.
- Conference notes with concern that hospital inpatients are still being charged high rates for bedside telephone use. Despite an OfCom investigation, the prices charged for incoming calls by Patient Line remain at 49p a minute peak rate and 39p off peak.
- the bedside systems are installed and operated at no cost to the NHS
- systems are installed at every bedside even when uneconomic
- providers install sophisticated, state of the art technology, capable of delivering clinical and administrative services for the NHS.
- This Conference requests that the CSP reviews the effect on existing physiotherapy service structures that the creation of Band 5 posts has created. The CSP has supported a strategy of services creating additional Band 5 posts as a solution to the graduate unemployment problem, however the CSP must consider the impact this is having on service structures in the long term.
The creation of additional Band 5 posts in physiotherapy structure has occurred at the loss of Band 6 and 7 posts in departments nationwide. This well intentioned strategy has impacted on the ability to create Therapy Practitioner posts and service delivery due to the loss of experienced practitioners from NHS services. Whilst the graduate unemployment problem is temporary the damage to physiotherapy structures will be long lasting.
West midlands stewards
- Conference calls upon the CSP to lobby the Scottish Government to ensure the fair application of car-parking charges across the country.
- problems recruiting to sites with high charges
- further limiting graduate opportunities by introducing these charges
- the obvious inequities across the country
- the lack of consistency due to the government allowing local decision making re charges.
The Wales Manual Handling Scheme has been shown to work throughout Wales, providing a consistent and quality approach to manual handling. There is currently inconsistency in manual handling training content and standards throughout England with individual employers deciding on the content, length of training sessions and method of teaching and presentation. The Wales programme provides a curriculum giving standard, consistent and appropriate training to all NHS staff and students alike. Thus providing better protection to staff and patients from injury. The passport also allows transference of skills when moving between employers, saving time and resources on unnecessary repetition of training.
National group of regional safety representatives
We are aware that, throughout the UK, obstetric physiotherapy services are being cut and vacant posts are not being filled. Consequently, pregnant and post-natal women are being denied choice and access to services. The DoH’s Maternity Action Plan: Maternity Matters, published this year, aims to give choice and access to all patients by 2009.
The CSP should immediately raise the profile of obstetric physiotherapists in the media, as the RCM has done for its members, and also address our concerns to the DoH as a matter of urgency.
Association of chartered physiotherapists in women’s health
Partnership working provides a method by which trade union representatives and management can engage each other in a meaningful relationship. This fact is recognised at national level by the Department of Health, NHS employers and the NHS Trade Unions.
However, there appears to be a growing trend of a move towards less staffside involvement at local level, particularly with the emergence of foundation trusts. This trend needs to be stopped before the good work achieved during AfC implementation is undone.
Mersey stewards
Currently, whilst there is a minimum, there is no upper limit of the temperature in which physiotherapists have to work. This problem is regularly compounded by physiotherapists having to work in environments with inadequate ventilation. ERUS is frequently asked whether there is legislation on this topic, demonstrating that it is an issue important to CSP members.
Mersey stewards
In the battle against hospital acquired infections (MRSA and Clostridium difficile), physiotherapists are being asked to change their uniforms daily. Some departments provide as little as two tunics/tops and one pair of trousers. This results in staff having to wash their clothes every day in empty washing machines as they are required to wash their uniforms separately from their own clothes.
The CSP needs to campaign with other unions to ensure staff are provided with adequate amounts of uniforms and trusts provide in-house laundry services which would be more environmentally friendly.
Eastern stewards
In previous years motions on the secondary agenda which have not been debated have been ‘lost’ and not taken further. ARC used to be a three-day event with ample debating time available. Some years ago ARC was reduced to a two day event which caused some limitations, this further severe reduction to just one day means that many issues important to the membership will be on the large secondary agenda and unlikely to be debated. It is, therefore, imperative that motions lost due to limitation of time are taken forward by being remitted to Council and not just lost.
South west south stewards
The ban on mobile phone use in hospitals means that these charges prey on vulnerable and immobile patients.
Conference demands that the CSP lobby the Secretary of State for Health to publish a review of the terms of license and to be seen to be working with Patient Line to reduce high incoming call charges.
When closing its investigation into Patient Line, OfCom stated that the high level of charges was a consequence of Government policy. This included the terms of the license set by the Department of Health. The license requires that:
It is hoped that a review of the terms of license will lead to lower call charges for hospital inpatients.
London south stewards
The introduction of car-parking charges at many NHS sites has been inconsistent an inequitable for the majority of CSP members in Scotland.
Costs range from no charge to in excess of ten pounds per day.
We believe it is unacceptable to charge members these high costs to park at their place of employment especially when there are no public transport alternatives available.
We ask Conference to support this motion.
This motion has been raised due to concern around the impact of these charges, ie.
Scottish board
This text on this page was last updated on 8 Jan 2008.
