Aberdeenshire UNISON
       
 
 

Care Homes Review
11th March 2010

Aberdeenshire UNISON's RESPONSE TO THE CONSULTATION ON CHANGES TO ROTA AND WORKING PRACTICE IN CARE HOMES

Inez Teece "Some staff are "losing" up to 20% of their income due to the "removal" of shift allowance" Inez Teece, Assistant Secretary

Inez Teece, Assistant Secretary has compiled this response using information gathered from the Consultation meetings held around Aberdeenshire and feedback from individuals.

Inez said, "Any change to working practice and patterns causes great concerns and anxiety. Care Homes are staffed predominantly by a female workforce that care deeply for their residents home and communities, but also have home and family lives that are equally important to them. These proposed changes have unsettled our members and concerns for themselves and their livelihoods are now forefront in their minds."

Shift Allowance
Generally there is a comment coming from all homes about shift allowance. Staff are concerned about the apparent removal of shift allowance for the majority of "day" staff. Staff feel that there has been a deliberate removal of shift allowance. Staff are raising concerns that all but "full time" staff will no longer be eligible for the shift allowance, creating a perceived discrimination against part time women workers. Staff are concerned about working alongside colleagues doing the same job on different pay. Staff feel that rotas have been deliberately drawn up to ensure part time staff do not receive shift allowance.

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Weekend Working
Some of the Care Homes currently operate on a one weekend off, one weekend working rota. The proposal is to change all homes to a 3 or 6 week rota, meaning that staff will work 2 weekends out of 3. Staff are expressing concerns about this as it impacts on staff home lives, as often partners work on a Monday to Friday basis and school children are home at weekends.

Concerns were raised as to staffing levels because of this change as they believe there would be too many staff working at weekends and not enough working during the week when it can often be busier. The question was raised by some Homes "why fix something that is not broken?", why change now when it works at the moment and meets the criteria for staffing?

The costs of more staff working at the weekend were also raised as a concern, as weekend working allowance would apply. Concerns were also voiced by staff that they thought that sickness absence would increase at weekends as staff would be stressed by the impact on their home lives and they believe a very few would take the opportunity to use sickness as a way to spend time with their families.

The length of consecutive days worked was also raised as a concern on a health and safety viewpoint. Staff were concerned that in order to get the weekend off, they would have to work up to 8 days consecutively.

Other concerns were raised that in order to reduce the number of consecutive days worked that split days off were proposed. Staff felt that split days off did not give them adequate rest time before starting work again with the possibility of increasing sickness absence.

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Staff to Client Ratio
Concerns were raised by some homes about the proposed staffing ratios. Firstly they felt that there was a risk to jobs particularly for those on relief or temporary contracts. Many of these people have worked for many years and consistently up to full time and feel that they may be without any job at the end of this process, permanent staff echoed concerns on behalf of their colleagues.

Secondly staff felt in many Homes that there would be a reduction in the amount of staff available to provide the required support to an increasingly frail resident population. This issue was equally an issue for staff providing support to residents approaching end of life and the increased workload and stress this situation creates.

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Skills Mix
There was a belief in all Homes that the increase in the number of Care Assistants and the reduction of Social Care Officers was a cause for concern. Staff feel that their posts are being degraded. That is, the same work will be expected to be done by people on less money, while the Social Care Officers are concerned for their futures and livelihoods, unsure if they will have jobs at their current rate of pay or even jobs at all in the near future.

Relief Staff
With the removal of the title "Relief" staff are concerned if they will continue to have a job. Many "Reliefs" have worked regularly for regular hours over a number of years. To them this is their job. Some homes will be able to appoint permanent staff with the inclusion of "Relief Staff" onto the rota, others may not be able to do so. Will 'Relief' Staff' be offered posts? As relief's are being removed from the staffing model within Care Homes, if they are unsuccessful in gaining a permanent position, will they be offered redeployment or redundancy?

The rota's have been drawn up fully staffing the Care Homes, staff are concerned about what former relief staff will do, how will their rotas be designed and how will their hours work? Staff do not want to be left owing hours to the Council.

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Conclusion
Any change to working practice and patterns causes great concerns and anxiety. Care Homes are staffed predominantly by a female workforce that care deeply for their residents home and communities, but also have home and family lives that are equally important to them. These proposed changes have unsettled staff and concerns for themselves and their livelihoods are now forefront in their minds.

Some staff are "losing" up to 20% of their income due to the "removal" of shift allowance and this is seen as an insult and a cut to their wages. Wages they have planned their lives around. The increase in working weekends for some, equally impacts on family life, something that is currently planned around existing rotas.

Staff are not happy about the changes, but most staff are aware of the difficulties facing the Council. UNISON believes the majority of staff will feel compelled to accept the changes at their own personal cost, due to their commitments to the home and the residents. The staff believe that Aberdeenshire Council is coercing them into this decision because of their commitments.

Inez Teece Assistant Branch Secretary
UNISON
11th March 2010

 

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