Health

Click here for the latest UNISON Scotland information on COVID-19 and your rights at work

UNISON is the UK’s largest health union. Over 400,000 members work for the NHS and for private contractors providing NHS services.

More than 60,000 UNISON members work in the NHS in Scotland. Our members working in the health service include nurses, student nurses, midwives, health visitors, healthcare assistants, paramedics, occupational therapists, cleaners, porters, catering staff, medical secretaries, clerical and admin staff and scientific and technical staff.

See also important information for workers registered with regulatory bodies.

How we organise – Standing up for Scotland’s health service workers

UNISON organisers and activists work together to make sure our members’ concerns are heard – whether it’s about pay, health and safety, discrimination or the future of our NHS.

UNISON represents our members working in health services in Scotland in many ways:

  • Offering help and advice at work;
  • Lobbying the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government on issues our members care about;
  • Having a strong voice on the Scottish partnership organisations, which negotiate terms and conditions issues for NHS Scotland staff;
  • Raising our members professional/local concerns or by highlighting issues that will affect all health workers at a national level.
  • Standing up for Scotland’s health service

But as well as representing our members in the workplace – UNISON cares passionately about the future of the NHS as a publicly funded service that is free at the point of delivery. The NHS is a public service we can all be proud of, and UNISON wants to keep it that way.


Coronavirus latest

Scotland’s overworked nurses in a ‘catch-22’ as no time to report chronic staff shortages, says UNISON

Scotland’s largest health union, UNISON, has today (Friday) revealed the full impact of the NHS staffing crisis is not being ... Read More

New Scottish health secretary has a real opportunity to tackle the core problems in NHS, say UNISON

UNISON, Scotland's largest health union, is calling on the new Scottish health secretary Michael Matheson MSP to take urgent action ... Read More

Hard working NHS staff in Northern Ireland should not be left out

Scottish Health Committee chair, Wilma Brown, has written to express solidarity with UNISON members in Northern Ireland who are on ... Read More

NHS staff vote overwhelmingly to accept pay offer

Scotland’s largest health union, UNISON, has today voted to accept the Scottish government NHS pay offer, in a consultative digital ... Read More

Email Humza Yousaf: Stop registration fees rise

UNISON Scotland has launched an email campaign calling on the Scottish government to stop the registration fees rise. The Health ... Read More

UNISON welcomes credible NHS pay offer for next year from Scottish government

The Scottish government’s pay offer to NHS workers for the financial year starting in April has been welcomed by UNISON ... Read More

The staffing crisis in our NHS – letter to MSPs

UNISON Scotland has today (Monday) written to all MSPs to raise key concerns about the staffing crisis in our NHS ... Read More

Scottish government must focus on NHS staffing and cost of living crisis in fresh pay talks today, says UNISON

Fresh NHS pay talks involving UNISON negotiators and the Scottish government are due to take place later today (Thursday) concerning ... Read More

UNISON Week 343 – NHS and social care in crisis and more

UNISON Week 343 - NHS and social care in crisisand more ... Read full newsletter here ... Read More

UNISON Week 342 – NHS In Crisis – Taking The NCS Campaign To Parliament.

UNISON Week 342 - NHS in crisis, taking the NCS Campaign to Parliament. Read full newsletter here ... Read More

More Health News

Latest briefings and submissions

Briefing 53: Bargaining – Health and social care integration regulations – Set 1

Briefing 53: Bargaining - Health and social care integration regulations - Set 1
KEY POINTS: These regulations implement the Scottish Government’s plans for health and social care integration They prescribe what information must ...
Read More

NHS Superannuation Scheme: draft regulations for proposed contribution increases

NHS Superannuation Scheme: draft regulations for proposed contribution increases
UNISON is Scotland’s largest healthcare trade union representing over 50,000 members working in NHS Scotland and related services. All of ...
Read More

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill response

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill response
UNISON raised a range of concerns in our submission to the 2012 consultation on what was then called the Community ...
Read More

Integration of Care in Social Care in Social Care in Scotland

Integration of Care in Social Care in Social Care in Scotland
UNISON Scotland members have been involved in various proposals for the integration of health and care services since the late1990s ...
Read More

Mental Health Strategy 2012 – 2015

Mental Health Strategy 2012 - 2015
UNISON acknowledges the work that the current Scottish Government and previous administrations have undertaken to tackle the challenges that mental ...
Read More

Care Integration Comments to Health & Sport Committee

Care Integration Comments to Health & Sport Committee
We understand that at present the Government intends to integrate health and social care primarily through legislation to replace Community ...
Read More

More on briefings page