Patricia McKeown is the regional secretary for Unison
In Wednesday’s edition of this newspaper, it was reported that around one in every five health service employees is a ‘pen pusher’. This derogatory term suggests that such roles in the health service are either of little consequence or are not needed.
As the largest trade union representing administrative and clerical staff in our health service, we assure you that nothing could be further from the truth. Without these workers we would not have a health service.
These staff do not divert badly-needed resources away from front line care as this newspaper’s editorial suggested; quite the opposite. They enable doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to provide frontline care for the public.
Without administrative and clerical staff, who would do the front line jobs of ensuring that our patients’ records are up to date, deal with appointments, type the medical reports, send reminders, monitor attendance, process requests for care, and a host of other front line patient and client support services?
Without them, who would order and check the supplies, pay the bills, sort the payroll and HR for 65,000 staff?
Who would monitor performance, quality and safety against human rights and equality standards?
Who would make sure that the lights stay on?
The funding crisis that has afflicted our health service is not the fault of our administrative and clerical staff.
Our chronic shortage of doctors and nurses is due to consistent failures in workforce planning.
It has left our system racking up huge costs on agency and locum staff, money that would be far better spent
The story in Wednesday’s Telegraph
on recruiting and retaining permanent staff.
The reality is almost 70% of the administrative and clerical staff are in the lowest pay bands in the health service, underpaid and overstretched.
The reality is that to recruit and retain the workforce that we need, the Department of Health and employers must engage with Unison and other trade unions to close the pay gap that has opened between staff here and in England, Scotland and Wales.
Unison’s mission is to ensure that all members of the health care team are respected, valued and rewarded. This is what our One Team campaign is about. We need not only more doctors and nurses, but more cleaners, caterers, carers and clerical workers to match growing demand.
We need to involve all staff in the debate on the future of their health service. We will never allow one group of staff to be played off against the other in such a cynical fashion.
As our health service celebrates its 70th birthday, we should celebrate the contribution that all staff make. If we want our health service to survive and thrive, we must support all its staff.