East Midlands doctors have joined forces for the launch of a new HCSA forum aimed at raising workplace standards across the region.
Specially trained local negotiators met at the inaugural event in a part of England where the Association continues to go from strength to strength.
In the past two years the Association has won collective negotiating rights for members at University Hospitals Leicester, Northamptonshire General, Derby and Burton, Sherwood Forest and Nottingham University Trusts.
The new forum aims to share the best policies for doctors in the region, East Midlands HCSA National Officer Andrew Jordan explains.
“Human resources departments share their policy ideas with each other all the time, some of which are detrimental to doctors. Our aim is to do the same, but from the hospital doctors’ perspective,” he says.
“We are trying to make sure that we have the best policies and practices in place. The new forum will enable our workplace negotiators to pursue evidenced local policies which implement best practice from our staff-side point of view.
“On a wide range of policy areas – whether that be leave, job planning, or CEAs – we want to promote consistent good-quality practices across the region, rather than it being one-way traffic at management’s behest.”
HSCA, working in partnership with the BMA, is pursuing various issues on behalf of members at East Midlands Trusts, including plans for a regional locum pay cap and aiding recruitment and retention to SAS grades by putting annual leave rights on a par with Consultants.
Andrew explains that, wherever possible, HCSA adopts a constructive approach.
“This is not about us being diametrically opposed to management, it is us trying to promote the best policies that work for staff – to ensure policies function rather than adopting proposals that look good on paper but don’t work in practice,” he says.
“It means HCSA negotiators will be able to tell them: ‘If you do this you are making a mistake, you’re not where other local Trusts are on this’.”