UNISON’s Health Group and Health and Safety Team surveyed all UK based UNISON NHS health and safety representatives to seek their view on COVID-19 preparedness in workplaces. We also asked questions about other health and safety issues affecting them.
The results show how ready UNISON health and safety reps feel employers are if COVID-19 rates continue to rise, or a new variant poses a greater risk to staff and patients.
Headlines
- Over two thirds of health and safety reps felt their workplaces were not ready for a fresh outbreak of COVID-19
- The top concern was social distancing and mask wearing on NHS premises
- There are high levels of concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on staffing levels
- Not enough has been done to improve workplace ventilation
- More employers should sign up to Independent Sage’s COVID-19 pledge
The COVID-19 pandemic has left a lasting legacy across the world. In the UK, public services like the NHS were the frontline in battling this novel virus. However, viruses mutate and another wave of COVID-19 or a new virus could emerge at any time.
Indeed, at the time of writing a new variant (JN.1) has emerged which, although classified as low risk by the World Health Organisation (WHO), is putting pressure on health services at the same time as a surge in other winter respiratory illnesses including influenza.
The WHO advice for health workers and health facilities is:
- Universal masking in health facilities, as well as appropriate masking, respirators and other PPE for health workers caring for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients
and
- Improve ventilation in health facilities
It is important that lessons are learned from this pandemic and that health and safety concerns are dealt with because doing so protects lives. Patients are protected where employers put in place the right safety measures to remove and reduce risks to patients and staff.
UNISON health and safety representatives across the whole UK are concerned about workplaces not being ready for a fresh outbreak or the next pandemic. We are in the midst of the worst workforce supply shortage the NHS has ever experienced; a shortage which will last for several years.
While employers are focusing in on staffing, more can and must be done to improve working environments. Employers taking action to promote safer workplaces acts as a strong retention factor signalling to existing staff that the employer cares about their health, safety and wellbeing.
The issues with buildings and maintenance reflect the ageing NHS estate but regardless, more needs to be done to make older buildings safer through improvements in ventilation, removal of asbestos and RAAC.
Whether it is COVID-19 or any of the other respiratory illnesses, more can be done to promote ventilation and put in place safety measures. This starts with assessing the risk posed in workplaces and employers working in partnership with health and safety reps to implement measures to remove and reduce risk.
A good starting point for this is to work with union health and safety reps to sign up to the Independent SAGE’s Covid safety pledge, which includes pledging to protect staff, users and customers from Covid by:
- Assessing the physical environment and working practices according to health and safety law
Abiding by the best public health advice and supporting staff who test positive for Covid.