Published: 15/09/2005, Volume II5, No. 5973 Page 7
Private sector companies should only be used to 'supplement' NHS diagnostic services rather than 'supplant them for profit', trade unions told the government this week.
Delegates at the Trade Union Congress conference said they 'deplored' the extension of the use of the independent sector for diagnostic work while 'NHS equipment is not used to its full capacity and stands idle for much of the week'.
The motion, put forward by the Society of Radiographers, was passed on Tuesday. It said finance that could pay for additional use of magnetic resonance imaging scanners in the NHS 'is instead diverted to private companies who make a profit from supplementing, and increasingly, competing with the NHS'.
The TUC also called for the introduction of better workforce planning in the NHS to ensure the skills of newly qualified clinical staff are not lost.
Improving occupational health facilities, working conditions and safety for staff must be made a priority for the NHS, delegates said.
Meanwhile, the conference passed a motion by Unison to support and co-ordinate public service unions in defending and improving public sector pension schemes - through the use of industrial action if necessary.
Unions still believed the government would argue strongly for an increase in the pension age in the new round of negotiations.
However they did welcome the recognition of the need to start discussions afresh on the reform of public sector schemes. Among the controversial proposals for reforming the NHS pension system is to move from a final salary to a career average policy.
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