Working in partnership is vital for the HCSA to influence and positively effect change for our membership. As part of the Trades Union Congress and the General Federation of Trade Unions we have many contacts with other trade unions and organisations and through our professional associations we have links with other medical bodies.
Trades Union Congress
The TUC is the voice of Britain at work. With 47 affiliated unions representing 5.5 million working people from all walks of life. The TUC campaigns for a fair deal at work and for social justice at home and abroad.
The HCSA and the TUC have a long history together, with the HCSA first affiliating to the TUC in 1979. TUC policy is set by Congress each year, but between congresses this responsibility lies with the General Council, which meets every two months.
Visit www.tuc.org.uk to find out all about the work of the TUC, as well as sign up for email news alerts.
General Federation of Trade Unions
The GFTU was established in 1899 and is a trade union federation for specialist unions, offering support, education and campaign support. As HCSA is an affiliate, GFTU has provided invaluable support and training to HCSA staff and leadership.
Department of Health & Social Care
HCSA engages with the DHSC on a regular basis to discuss and highlight issues affecting all grades of hospital doctor and medical students.
NHS England
HCSA meets regularly with NHS England to ensure that the perspective of hospital doctors is understood.
NHS Employers
Established in 2004, NHS Employers was set up as the voice of employers in the NHS and coordinates negotiations between the DHSC, trade unions and employers.
NHS Employers focuses on four priority areas:
- Pay and negotiations
- Recruitment and planning the workforce
- Healthy and productive workplaces
- Employment policy and practice.
NHS Staff Council
The national NHS Staff Council has overall responsibility for the Agenda for Change pay system and has representatives from both employers and trade unions. Some of these terms and conditions overlap with medical staff. The council is one of the key forums where engagement and negotiations take place between NHS employers and health trade unions.
Its remit includes:
- Maintaining the Agenda for Change pay system
- Negotiating any changes in core conditions for staff on Agenda for Change and reflecting these in the NHS terms and conditions of service handbook
- Providing national support on interpreting the national agreement for employers and trade unions
The HCSA was granted a full seat on the council in March 2017.
Social Partnership Forum
The Social Partnership Forum (SPF) brings together NHS Employers, NHS trade unions, NHS England, Health Education England and the Department of Health to discuss and debate the development and implementation of the workforce implications of policy.
SPF at a national level
The Social Partnership Forum is a forum for discussing, debating and involving partners in the development and implementation of policy where there are workforce implications.
The forum was first set up in March 1998, after a recognition of the positive contribution that partnership working can have on improving patient care by actively involving employers, employees and their trade unions in continuous dialogue around the entire decision-making process.
The primary aims of SPFs are to:
- Contribute staff side and employer perspectives to emerging policy at a formative stage
- Improve policy development and implementation by feeding in ideas on workforce implications
- promote good pracitce in relation to partnership working and effective communication betweeb partners
The SPF does not discuss the contractual arrangements for NHS staff as this is carried out in the national NHS Staff Council, which has overall responsibility for Agenda for Change terms and conditions including those which apply to hospital doctors.
More Information about the SPF can be found on its website at socialpartnershipforum.org