As per the previous Industrial Action update posted on 6th October 2023, your branch committee had agreed on a strategy to minimise the number of imposed late finishes and unnecessary delays at Emergency Departments which impact our members on a daily basis.
A request was made to the UNISON National Industrial Action Committee to agree to an escalation to our ongoing industrial action. This request was agreed and the NIAS Trust were served with the required legal notice of our intention to start a period of continuous industrial action impacting the dispatch and response to lower acuity emergency calls in the last hour of every operational shift. This action ensures that Unison members will only be dispatched to appropriately triaged calls that meet the definition of “life and limb” cover.
Life Preserving Services Definition (Life and Limb cover):
· Emergency intervention for the preservation of life or for the prevention of permanent disability;
· Care required for therapeutic services without which life would be jeopardised or permanent disability would occur;
· Urgent diagnostic procedures and assessments are required to obtain information on potentially life-threatening conditions or conditions that could potentially lead to permanent disability.
Unison members will only be dispatched to Category 1 calls and upgraded calls that meet the definition of “Life and limb” cover in the last hour of every shift.
All other agreed end-of-shift protocols that support staff and restrict the allocation of lower acuity calls in the last two hours of a shift will continue to apply.
Effective from 00.01 hrs on Friday 20th October 2023.
