Dr Naru Narayanan

HCSA President

These are times of huge change for HCSA – the hospital doctors’ union. We have an energised new National Executive Committee, a new democratic structure and a new vision and strategy.

With the pressure of our internal elections behind us, I’m now looking forward to working with our NEC, and you and fellow members, to build a strong union with greater influence and visibility.

We are already starting on the next phase of these plans, which will see the establishment of new district committees. These will bring the work of your union closer to you and help ensure we are responsive and more visible in workplaces.

This will not happen overnight, and we will need members to build it together with our district NEC representatives, our national officer team and our new strategic national organiser Nick Child.

Increased local activity is central to delivering for existing members and showing what HCSA is all about – a robust defender of rights and an advocate for the profession. This to me is the key to attracting more members, building our strength and growing our influence nationally and locally.

We shall be creating new structures to ensure we focus and campaign on the issues most important to you and fellow members. I encourage you to embrace the opportunity and take part.

As a union we have a long track record of responding to members’ concerns. Campaigning on the things which impact on us collectively and individually: the freedom to speak up on safety without recrimination, toxic cultures, sexual harassment, pensions and of course pay.

As I write, hundreds of you are participating in our research call on physician and anaesthesia associates which will directly inform our response to the Leng Review into their deployment.

On pay, industrial action resulted in concessions from government. However, we cannot rest on our laurels. We have submitted written evidence to the DDRB pay review body and we pressed home our central concerns in a face-to-face session last month.

Last year, we made clear to the government in negotiations that successive above-inflation rises are required to stabilise the workforce after more than a decade of real-terms salary erosion. We reiterated this point in no uncertain terms to the DDRB.

We expect the pay review process to conclude earlier than in previous years – both in terms of the DDRB’s report and the government response. However, this will still fall after the April timepoint for pay implementation, something which the government has pledged to improve.

The NEC will discuss next steps if the pay award is not what we expect.

We also warned the DDRB that annual allowance pension charges, which are completely out of place in a defined benefit scheme, are stopping people from taking additional duties, with a knock-on impact on waiting lists.

From national policy and advocacy, to standing up to bad employment practices locally and supporting you individually in your hour of need, I’m proud to be president of an organisation devoted to fighting tirelessly on behalf of our members and our profession.

In coming months you’ll hear more about how you can be part of the catalyst for change that our union intends to be. I urge you to participate, and to help build the strongest possible voice for hospital doctors.