If this is to be a successful campaign to widen the categories included by the provisions, then a multi-faceted approach will be desirable.  Those who are UNISON members will need to raise it (initially individually at local level, since that is how UNISON works) through the Union.  The offer of support from HLG (endorsed by the wider CILIP?) is also welcome, though they do not vote at Whitley.

 

I also think that the level, which @ £38 will be partial, rather than full, could be challenged.  But even a contribution of £1 would be a principled acceptance by the NHS of CILIP status, which is something to be campaigned for in its own right. 

 

Finally, as a former resident of Wales, I note the use of the “England” word in the Pay Circular.  Do Celtic colleagues need and/or wish to be involved in widening the scope of these provisions?

 

 

Just to add in, I don't know if this will help with future bargaining or not, but some public sector employers, from personal experience the Ministry of Defence, do pay professional association membership fees.

 

Paula.

 

Paula Younger
Electronic Resources Librarian
Exeter Health Library
Royal Devon & Exeter Foundation Trust
Peninsula Medical School Building
Barrack Road
Exeter
EX2 5DW
Tel: 01392 406729
Fax: 01392 406728

 

 

From: UK medical/ health care library community / information workers [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Engel, Colin
Sent: 13 December 2007 12:28
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Reimbursement of professional membership fees

Response from the list:

 

I have had a definitive response from Catherine Richmond (and no doubt others to follow) who has helpfully cited Pay Circular (AforC) 4/2007 which states:

 

Support for clinical staff requiring professional registration

 

4 It has been agreed that an allowance of £38 will be made to support the payment of clinical registration fees for those clinical staff in England where registration with one of the regulatory bodies is mandatory in order to practice. Payment will be made to appropriate staff in bands 5-8(A) inclusive. Payment will be made from 1 November 2007 and each year until November 2010 by when it will have been reviewed.

 

5 This allowance will cover relevant staff in band 5 – 8A requiring registration by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), Health Professions Council (HPC), General Dental Council (GDC), Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the General Social Care Council (GSCC) or other body designated by the NHS Staff Council.

 

So, action point for UNISON for the next round: get this provision widened both by discipline and geography.

 

Colleagues

 

I understood from the bullet point headlines of the last annual NHS staff salary settlement that full reimbursement of professional association membership fees was included as part of the package. 

 

It was not clear to me whether this headline was an abbreviation in which the word “clinical” got dropped from the original, or whether the intention and letter was that this applied to all groups of staff, not just clinicians. 

 

Has anyone examples positive or negative of how this is being interpreted and applied on the ground with respect to CILIP membership?

 

Colin Engel, Deputy Library Manager

Clinical Library Service, 1st Floor C Block

Russells Hall Hospital

Dudley DY1 2HQ

Tel. 01384 321084 (Internal:ext.1084)

We provide the following services:

Document delivery, journal and book collections in electronic and hard copy. Training courses in knowledge retrieval, literature search services, enquiry service.

National Library for Health: http://www.library.nhs.uk

Library catalogue available on Trust Intranet.: http://libcat.dudley.nhs.uk/amlibweb