999 Bonus – Nein Nein Nein!

LAS UNISON want all our members to have extra money in these difficult times of Coalition austerity, but, bonus schemes to meet government targets are not the way to do it.

We oppose these types of bonus schemes as divisive and wrong within an emergency service.

Let’s deal with the targets and Coalition policies that bring these problems head on and not cover them up with Band-Aid bonus schemes.

We understand the position the Service is in, which is not of their making.

We understand also the pressure the Service is going through and accept that we all have a duty to manage that pressure so that patient care is not compromised.

However, the news that £53million of funding was to be withdrawn from the LAS by the government was received in relative silence by senior management and the Trust Board.

We have already lost two years’ worth of job losses (vacancies not filled) and funds taken away from us.

The government places us in a no-win situation. To put it in a nutshell:

• £53m of funding is being withdrawn from LAS. That has led to a reduction of staff.
• At the same time the call rate has increased throughout these withdrawing of funds and reduction of staff.
• The Service has to meet government targets on response times for patients with life threatening conditions (among other things).
• If it doesn’t meet these targets by the end of March it will be ‘fined’ millions of pounds by the Commissioners.

Catch 22!

I know that I have simplified very complex forces at play, but I do so to make the point.

The bonus scheme was brought in to give an incentive to staff to reach those targets.

It has been brought in with good intentions by senior managers who are accountable to our Commissioners. Brought in with good intentions-but still wrong.

The scheme is already being misinterpreted and misrepresented by people who are not known to be friends of the Public Sector.

The Telegraph had a field day insulting the professionalism of our Control Staff. They all but accused Control Staff of putting patients’ lives at risk for a quick buck.

That is a lie and a slur and someone has to stand up and say it! I say it.

LAS UNISON will stand up for all our staff against lies and misrepresentation. 

The Telegraph make no mention of the Coalition’s policies of course.

How ever hard you try with a Bonus Scheme they are always (and are always seen) to be divisive. This one is no different, added to the fact that it is wrong to have ‘productivity’ incentives within a patient caring profession. We shouldn’t need it.

It is time we got round a table and talked seriously about the future of proper pay within our Service.

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I met the new Chief Executive Ann Radmore today for the first time. Other commitments and meetings have come in the way of our meeting up formally earlier.

As diplomats  would say “There was an honest and frank exchange of views!”.

I have written in previous blog posts that I am pleased a ‘NHS person’ was appointed Chief Executive. Someone with a public service ethos.

We have a huge struggle to get our Service back on track. Doing what we are good at without the stress and tension that all staff are feeling and going through. 

It won’t be easy with the economic and political storms blowing around our heads (and there may be lots of fall outs) but I am looking forward to a positive and constructive working relationship with the Chief Executive. 

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  Information of all issues can be found elsewhere on our website.

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Eric Roberts

Branch Secretary.