coronavirus – Page 43 – The NEN

Nurses will earn £2,500 less in real terms than in 2010

New 1% NHS pay offer is “a real terms pay cut” and “hammer blow to morale”, says union body
All key workers deserve a decent pay rise, says TUC

The TUC has released new analysis which shows how major groups of NHS workers will be much worse off in real terms in 2021-22 than in 2010.

The analysis shows that following the government’s decision to offer NHS staff a pay rise of just 1% in 2021-22, nurses’ pay will be down as much as £2,500 in real terms compared to a decade ago.

The picture is bleak for many other NHS staff too:

Porters’ pay will be down by up to £850
Maternity care assistants’ pay will be down by up to £2,100
Paramedics’ pay will be down by up to £3,330

Real terms pay loss since 2010

Occupation	Pay 2010	Pay 2010 in 20-21 prices (CPI)	Agenda for change 2020-21 pay	Pay 2021-22 (1% proposed increase)	Real terms pay loss 2010-2021
Porters	£16,753	£20,383	£19,337	£19,530	-£852
Medical secretaries	£18,577	£22,602	£21,142	£21,353	-£1,249
Nursery Nurse	£21,798	£26,521	£24,157	£24,399	-£2,122
Maternity Care Assistants
Speech and Language Therapy Assistants
Team coordinators
Nurses	£27,534	£33,500	£30,615	£30,921	-£2,579
Community nurses
Radiographer Specialist	£34,189	£41,597	£37,890	£38,269	-£3,328
Paramedic

Source: TUC analysis of NHS Agenda for Change Pay scales

The TUC analysis also reveals that NHS workers across many occupations and pay bands will suffer a real-terms pay cut in 2021-22.

For example, an experienced nurse or midwife (NHS band 5) will a face an annual real-terms pay cut of up to £153 in 2021-22 as a result of the planned 1% increase.

Unions have described the latest pay offer to NHS workers as an insult to their hard work and dedication during the pandemic.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Our brilliant NHS workers have put their lives on their line to get Britain through this pandemic.

“It’s time we cared for them the way they have cared for us.

“That means giving them the decent pay rise they deserve – not a pathetic 1% increase. After years of real-terms pay cuts the government’s latest offer is a hammer blow to staff morale.

“This boils down to political choices. Ministers have chosen to spend hundreds of millions on outsourcing our failed test and trace system and on dodgy PPE contracts. But they have chosen not to find the money to give nurses, paramedics and other NHS workers fair pay.

“Boosting pay for NHS key workers will help our local businesses and high streets recover faster – because their customers will have more cash to spend. And that will help other workers get a pay rise too.”

BACKLASH

Four major unions – the BMA, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Midwives and UNISON – have written an open letter to the Chancellor, expressing their dismay at the 1% pay offer made to health workers.

In the letter they ask him to reconsider the recommendation, made to the NHS pay review bodies yesterday, that NHS staff receive a 1% pay rise.

The letter goes on to say: “The proposal of a 1% pay offer, not announced from the despatch box but smuggled out quietly in the days afterwards, fails the test of both honesty and fails to provide staff who have been on the very frontline of the pandemic the fair pay deal they need.

“Our members are the doctors, nurses, midwives, porters, healthcare assistants and more, already exhausted and distressed,  who are also expected to go on caring for the millions of patients on waiting lists, coping with a huge backlog of treatment as well as caring for those with COVID-19.”

The unions make clear that the Government should demonstrate that it recognises the contribution of the hundreds of thousands of workers who have literally kept the country alive for the past year and call upon the Chancellor to, “make the right choice”.

Read the full letter

Bubbles: New support is ‘great news for stressed parents’

Campaigner Rebecca Bell is welcoming the news that the First Minister has told parliament that parents with a baby under the age of one can have assistance with childcare, using a new exemption for indoor visiting.

Rebecca Bell, the mental health spokesperson for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, had launched a petition to allow for ‘bubbles’ for those with newborns, like they have in place in England and Wales.

She was prompted to do so after speaking to her friends with children in Leith, and also during phone canvassing in recent months, she and other volunteers kept hearing how much parents were struggling.

Speaking after the announcement at Parliament, Rebecca said: “We’ve been campaigning for this since last year, so I’m delighted to hear that finally parents with a baby can get some much needed support in their homes.

“This is so vitally important for the mental health and wellbeing of new families, but also for the development of these babies to interact with other people. Most of these children were born during lockdown.

“However, I will continue to stay in touch with those I’ve spoken to, to see if this restriction edit goes far enough. My petition called for a full baby bubble – like families in England have enjoyed since the start of December, and since last month in Wales.

“What the Scottish Government are introducing is not quite the same. As we ease restrictions there may still be a case for allowing bubbles, such as the one we (rightly) offer here to single parents. I believe a bubble is a more stable arrangement for planning childcare in the next few months, so I will be monitoring the success of this policy closely.

“Now we have eclipsed a year into this pandemic, it’s easy to see why fatigue has set in and mental health has been put under strain. Anyone with a newborn is sleep deprived, and around 1 in 10 new mothers experience post-natal depression, and this condition can also affects fathers too, of course.

“Any parent knows that you need lots of energy for it, and just having someone able to come into your house to hold your baby so you can eat some food, or shower can make a huge difference to your wellbeing. That’s why so many I’ve spoken to are really struggling to juggle parenthood and working from home.

“I’m so glad we finally got some movement from the Government on this, I just wish they’d done so sooner.”

Holyrood elections: planning is key for safe campaign and polls

The safety of campaigners, election workers and the public is central to plans for the Scottish Parliament election, Parliamentary Business Minister Graeme Dey has said.

In a statement to the Scottish Parliament yesterday, Mr Dey said Scottish Government guidance will be published shortly setting out what is permitted under public health restrictions. This approach has been discussed with all political parties.

The Electoral Commission is also publishing guidance for candidates for the election, which takes place on 6 May.

Under the plans, leafleting could start from 15 March if sufficient progress is made for the current rules on socialising to be eased to allow outdoor meetings of four people from two households.

Strict safety measures will also need to be observed including physical distancing and wearing of face coverings.

Because of the ongoing threat from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, face-to-face campaigning on the doorstep cannot commence at the same time as leafleting.

Instead, the provisional intention is to allow door-to-door canvassing from 5 April provided the current Stay at Home restrictions have been lifted and the infection rate across Scotland has fallen to 50 per 100,000.

This is the infection rate which the World Health Organisation considers as evidence the pandemic is sufficiently under control to allow safe community activity.

However, activities such as street stalls, physical hustings and giving voters a lift to polling stations will not be permitted for the duration of the campaign.

Mr Dey said: “An enormous amount of work has taken place across our electoral community to ensure that the election in May can be conducted safely. It is as a result of the hard work of electoral professionals over the course of the winter that I am confident the election can go ahead on 6 May.

“It is fundamental for a democracy to hold scheduled elections, provided it is safe to do so. This parliament has sat for a year longer than originally intended and many countries have already held elections successfully during the pandemic.

“It is also the case that eight local government by-elections were held in Scotland over October and November safely and fairly.

“I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all those involved in preparations for polling and the counting of votes and also members of political parties across the parliament who continue to engage constructively in the lead up to the election.”

Malcolm Burr, convener of the Electoral Management Board, said: “Returning Officers take the management of all elections very seriously. On 6 May, we will be just as committed to ensuring the safety of voters, candidates, staff, and others as we are to ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.

“There will be challenges caused by the pandemic, but with the right planning, support from Public Health officials, guidance from the Electoral Commission and the directions to Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers, a safe and well-run election can take place with results in which voters can have confidence.”

For more information on the safety of the election and campaigning read the full parliamentary statement.

More pupils back from 15th March

Phase 2 of schools return announced

All remaining primary school children are set to return to school full-time from 15 March, with all secondary pupils returning on a part-time basis from that date.

Regulated childcare, including breakfast and after-school clubs, for primary pupils will also re-start on 15 March as part of the Phase 2 return.

From 15 March, all secondary pupils will receive both high quality remote learning and some in-school teaching. Councils will decide how to safely balance in-school learning based on local circumstances and needs.

Senior phase students (S4-S6) who are taking national qualifications will have priority for face-to-face lessons in school.

Updated schools safety guidance to support the phased return will be published next week and Education Scotland will develop practical guidance for schools, which will be also published shortly.

Local authorities will be encouraged to support young people’s wellbeing in other ways – for example, by providing more opportunities for outdoor learning.

Colleges, who can have up to 5% of learners on campus at any one time, will also be able to prioritise senior phase pupils.

The plans are conditional on continued progress on suppressing coronavirus. All pupils are expected to return to full-time schooling after Easter, subject to continued suppression of the virus.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “I can confirm that the next phase of reopening education will take place on 15 March. From that date – unless new evidence or new circumstances force us to reconsider – all children in primary 4 to 7 will go back to school on a full-time basis and all primary school children will be able to return to regulated childcare.

“All secondary school pupils will return to spend some time in school from 15 March – with a clear expectation that all secondary school pupils will be back in school on a full-time basis after the Easter holidays.

“The phased approach to school return is firmly based on the expert advice that we have received. It is the best and also the most sustainable and enduring way to get as many children back to school as possible, as safely as possible.”

All secondary pupils will continue to be required to observe two metre physical distancing while in school in the period immediately after the Phase 2 return. This is in addition to existing measures, including the use of face coverings. School transport will operate with the same physical distancing rules as public transport.

EIS Writes to Party Leaders Urging Support for Vaccinating School Staff

The EIS has written to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister John Swinney and to the Holyrood leaders of Scotland’s major political parties, calling for their support to vaccinate school staff against Covid.

Last week, the Scottish Government announced that it did not intend to prioritise the vaccination of teachers and the EIS is calling for urgent reconsideration of this position.

In the letter, EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan says, “It seems short-sighted of the Scottish Government not to utilise the vaccination tool to ensure continuity of education – an action at odds with the political rhetoric about the importance of education to the lives of our young people.”

The letter continues, “Given the caring role that teachers and other education staff undertake, particularly Early Years, Primary and ASN staff, and the difficulties that there are in maintaining physical distance between staff and pupils in these contexts, in omitting to vaccinate teachers, the Scottish Government will have failed to take appropriate mitigating action of the kind that it has undertaken for other frontline care workers.”

The letter also calls on Government to “consider the impact of teacher absence on the education of young people.

In secondary schools, for example, staff absence over the next period through Covid related reasons could seriously impact on the SQA qualifications. On average staff absences in schools has been around 1,500 per week, at one stage last September peaking at over 2,500.

Clearly this is disruptive to education continuity especially for senior phase secondary pupils, already facing a tight timeline around accreditation processes.”

Calling for school staff to now be prioritised, the letter says, “Whilst the EIS very deliberately did not call for education staff priority within Phase 1 of the programme, as that was very clearly predicated on those most at risk of death, we believe there is scope within Phase 2 to take a different approach as 99% of that ‘at severe risk’ group will have been covered in the first phase.

“Within Phase 1 the Scottish Government chose to reorder the JCVI priorities to accommodate its own policy agenda with regard to care homes and we believe a similar approach should apply to schools.”

An online campaign calling for school staff to be vaccinated, launched on Friday by the EIS, attracted almost 5000 signatures over the weekend.

Read a copy of the letters here.

Larry Flanagan recording.

Sight Loss Charity extends campaign to continue specialist support during COVID

British Wireless for the Blind Fund (BWBF), a Kent-based sight loss charity that provides free, specially adapted audio equipment to those living with sight loss, is proud to announce that its popular BWBFConnect service will continue throughout 2021.

The dedicated service was initially launched in April 2020, shortly after the UK entered its first COVID-19 lockdown. Designed to better connect vulnerable people to essential support networks, the scheme a free audio device, delivered direct to the door, to ensure critical information is communicated effectively, and that vulnerable people can access vital support.

To date, more than 2000 radios have been delivered under the BWBF initiative. Having proven to be highly successful, and in great demand, BWBF hopes that the continuation of the scheme throughout 2021 will enable even more people with sight loss to stay connected, rebuild their confidence, and reduce feelings of isolation. BWBF is striving to provide another 2000 devices this year.

Sophie Wheldon, BWBF Regional Development Manager said, “BWBFConnect was so successful during 2020 that we are extending the project to support more people with sight loss across the coming year.

“While we have had some very positive news lately about the roadmap out of lockdown, what many don’t realise is that life won’t return to normal until much later for those with sight loss.

“With the continuation of the scheme, we want to make sure that people living with sight loss do not become COVID’s forgotten; we want to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to provide mental stimulation, news, and entertainment during lonely times.”

The radios play a significant role in delivering news and information, along with entertainment and, perhaps most importantly, a friendly voice and companionship at a time when many people are separated from their friends and families.

“I love this device, it keeps me company all day. I can’t see my children or grandchildren so this is all I have to keep me company. I have the radio on all day and in the evening I listen to my talking books, it’s a Godsend,” says Jean, aged 75 from Birmingham, who received an audio device under the BWBFConnect scheme.

According to research by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), many of those living with sight loss are fearful of going out because they are unable to clearly see social distancing markets.

The RNIB reports that some have been confronted for a failure to abide by the 2-metre regulation. Additionally, around one quarter have been unable to carry on as normal as social distancing laws have meant they no longer have access to a necessary guide.

BWBF phone lines have remained open during the pandemic, and will remain open with staff and volunteers carrying out many of their duties from home to continue providing necessary support for those with sight loss as the UK’s lockdown continues.

To find out if someone you know is eligible for a free device under the BWBFConnect scheme, visit www.blind.org.uk or call 01622 754 757.

GMB seeks assurances as care home visiting resumes

Precarious balance between compassion and safety ahead of care home visit re-start, as GMB asks for worker assurances

Speaking ahead of the re-start of indoor visits to care homes across Scotland today (Monday 1 March), Rhea Wolfson of GMB Scotland’s Women’s Campaign Unit said: “The balance between compassion and safety is precarious at this moment. Confidence is fragile among care home workers and there can be no room for complacency.

“That’s why ahead of the return to care home visits GMB has asked the Scottish Government to ensure the delivery of three basic provisions:

Safe levels of staffing provision in homes.
A whistleblowing facility for worker safety.
Stringent enforcement of government safety guidelines.

“Everyone wants to see families reunited but government and employers owe a great debt to these key workers after the last year, and it’s important their voices are now being heard.”

The Scottish Government has published new guidance for care homes on visiting during the pandemic plus tools and resources on visiting and supporting residents in homes with COVID-19.

You can access this here: http://bit.ly/3fY3MFq

The guidance supports adult care home residents to resume meaningful contact with loved ones. This begins with up to two designated visitors, and a total of two visits a week.This will become normal practice in all but exceptional circumstances, such as a COVID-19 outbreak.

It is hoped to gradually increase the frequency and the number of people who can visit.

COVID: Brazilian strain reaches Scotland

Three cases of a COVID-19 Variant of Concern first identified in Manaus, Brazil, have been identified in Scotland.

Following their return to North East Scotland from Brazil, via Paris and London, three Scottish residents entered self-isolation and then subsequently tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19). These individuals then self-isolated for the required period of 10 days.

The tests were completed in early February and passed to the UK’s advanced sequencing capabilities programme which detected this new variant. Due to the potential concerns around this variant other passengers on the flight used by the three individuals from London to Aberdeen are being contacted. These three cases are not connected to three cases also identified in England.

Health protection teams, including local clinicians, have assessed each case and their contacts, and are arranging protective measures for this small number of potentially exposed individuals.

To provide an extra layer of safety, teams are ensuring people who could have been infected by these first line contacts are also isolated and tested. This is to ensure all possible precautions are taken as we learn more about this particular variant.

Clinical and trial data continues to be assessed to examine how this new variant may respond to current COVID-19 vaccines.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “The identification of this new variant is a concern but we are taking every possible precaution. We have identified these cases thanks to our use of advanced sequencing capabilities which means we are finding more variants and mutations than many other countries and are therefore able to take action quickly.

“This new variant demonstrates how serious Covid is and reinforces the need to minimise the spread of the virus. We would encourage everyone across the country to adhere to the necessary public health restrictions by staying at home except for essential purposes as this is the single best way of staying safe and stopping the spread of this virus. It is now also illegal for anyone to travel to or from Scotland unless it is for an essential reason.

“The Covid vaccination programme is one of three key ways we are working to beat this virus, along with our expanded testing programme to identify cases and break chains of transmission, and the important lockdown restrictions everyone in Scotland must follow.

“These three strands – following expert advice and guidance to suppress the virus, using our expanded testing programme to identify cases and break chains of transmission and rolling out vaccination as fast as supplies allow – are the three critical actions that will see us move, step by step, to protect the public, save lives and a brighter year ahead.”

As a precautionary measure and to provide further insights, samples from any passenger on the London to Aberdeen flight who subsequently tested positive or was symptomatic are being urgently sequenced to determine whether any had acquired the new variant. Those on the flight from London to Aberdeen will be contacted.

Public Health England has also identified three cases of the variant in England but these are not linked to the three cases in Scotland. Scotland and England are working together to ensure that a consistent UK approach is taken to managing such incidents.

This variant has been designated ‘of concern’ as it shares some important mutations with the variant first identified in South Africa (B.1.351), such as E484K and N501Y. There is some data to suggest that this variant may be more likely to cause Covid-19 infections in people who have been vaccinated or who had been infected with one of the earlier strains of “wild-type” Covid-19.

The P1 “Brazilian” variant is a descendent of B.1.1.28 and was first detected in Japan but is most closely associated with the second wave epidemic in Manauas, Brazil. This variant has been designated ‘of concern’ as it shares some important mutations with the variant first identified in South Africa (B.1.351), such as E484K and N501Y.

It is possible that this variant may respond less well to current vaccines but at this time there is a high degree of uncertainty and we await clinical and trial data is awaited to understand this better.

Genomic sequencing of Scottish samples is undertaken as part of a UK programme. This programme continues to develop ensure faster turnaround times.

Dr Susan Hopkins, PHE strategic response director for COVID-19 and NHS Test and Trace Medical Advisor, said: “We have identified these cases thanks to the UK’s advanced sequencing capabilities which means we are finding more variants and mutations than many other countries and are therefore able to take action quickly.

“The important thing to remember is that COVID-19, no matter what variant it is, spreads in the same way. That means the measures to stop it spreading do not change. Stay at home and if you do need to go out for essential reasons, cover your nose and mouth, wash your hands thoroughly and keep your distance.”

New COVID testing site opens at Ainslie Park Leisure Centre

The UK Government has opened a new walk-through coronavirus testing centre at Ainslie Park Leisure Centre Car Park.

The test centre, which opened yesterday, is part of the largest network of diagnostic testing facilities created in British history. In Scotland, this comprises 7 drive through sites, 33 walk-through sites, 42 mobile units, plus the Glasgow Lighthouse Lab which is working round the clock to process samples.

In Scotland, the UK Government is providing all COVID testing and test processing outside of the NHS. Around two thirds of all daily tests are provided by the UK Government, in support of Scotland’s health services.

Tests must be booked in advance at: www.nhsinform.scot/test-and-protect or by calling 0800 028 2816. People should only book at test if they have coronavirus symptoms (a high temperature, a new and continuous cough, or a loss or change to their sense of smell or taste).

Health Minister Lord Bethell said: “To respond to the coronavirus, we have built a major testing and tracing system from scratch. We are constantly working to expand and improve it with new technologies and innovations so everyone with symptoms can get a test.

“New walk-in sites like this one makes it even easier to get a test no matter where you live. If you have symptoms of coronavirus, I urge you to book a test today and follow the advice of NHS Test and Protect if you are contacted to protect others and stop the spread of the virus.”

Baroness Dido Harding, Interim Executive Chair of the National Institute for Health Protection, said: “Walk-through sites offer communities better access to coronavirus testing, so everyone with symptoms can get a test.

“This new site is part of our ongoing work to expand our testing network across the UK which now has the capacity to process more than 700,000 tests a day. We will continue to expand capacity to improve test turnaround times and push forward testing innovations to make sure anyone who needs a test can get one.

“Please book a test if you have coronavirus symptoms: a new continuous cough, a high temperature and a loss or change in sense of smell or taste, and follow the advice of NHS Test and Protect if you are contacted.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland, Iain Stewart said: “The UK Government is doing everything it can to support people in all parts of the UK through the pandemic.

“Testing continues to play an important role how we manage the virus alongside the roll out of vaccines, helping to identify local outbreaks, slow down the rate of transmission and protect communities. I would like to thank the public for continuing to do the right thing and come forward to be tested when they display symptoms.

“The UK Government continues to provide the bulk of testing in Scotland, with this new walk-through centre in Edinburgh just the latest in our extensive network. We have also secured and paid for millions of doses of the Pfizer and Oxford vaccines for all parts of the UK.

“Hope is on the horizon, but we can’t let up on our efforts to contain the virus.”

Adam McVey, City of Edinburgh Council Leader said: “Our number one priority is keeping Edinburgh’s residents safe and the best way to do that is to keep encouraging everyone to follow the latest guidance and to arrange to get themselves tested if they develop any Covid-19 symptoms.

“Our other testing sites across Edinburgh have been helping hundreds of people every week to get tested so it’s really welcome that this new site is opening in the north of the city.

“We’ll keep the use of the Ainslie Park Leisure Centre under review to ensure that when it’s possible for Edinburgh Leisure to reopen for sport and leisure use, venues can operate efficiently.”

Simon Venn, Mitie Chief Government & Strategy Officer, said: “Our priority during the pandemic is to support the nation’s efforts to fight COVID-19 and help keep the country running.

“Testing is a critical part of the UK’s strategy to combat coronavirus and we’re proud to support the UK Government with this vital task. A big thank you to all the NHS staff, Mitie employees and other frontline heroes in Edinburgh, who are working tirelessly to keep us all safe.”

Scottish construction praised for following safety guidance, but warned: Don’t take your foot off the gas

Scotland’s construction industry has been recognised for playing its part in the battle against COVID-19 – but has been warned not to take its “foot off the gas” after recent cases were reported on sites across the country.

The alert came from Russell Adfield, Head of Construction Sector and Policy at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) during a recent online meeting of the Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum.

Mr Adfield told the industry collective that it should be congratulated for helping to ensure the sector followed correct protocols – and said its role was more vital than ever if the industry was to continue to stay safe.

He also acknowledged that the CICV Forum has provided businesses with the guidance they need to protect their workers, friends and families and meet the COVID-secure requirements of Construction Scotland and the Scottish Government.

Mr Adfield said: “During 2020, construction rose to the challenge and triumphed, protecting staff and providing the bedrock of the UK economy throughout the year.

“However, although plenty of good work has been done, it is vital that we don’t take our foot off the gas and must all continue to work hard to protect against the very real threat that remains.

“This year is a time of optimism and hope, and a time to be steadfast and disciplined. We need to reflect and learn, but also to develop and advance as we maintain and improve our health and safety performance.”

Mr Adfield said there had been 856 spot checks and 850 COVID site visits in Scotland since the start of the pandemic, which revealed 136 social distancing concerns.

He told the Forum at their latest meeting (18 February): “Although December, was encouraging, January and February this year have seen an increase in positive reports of COVID cases on construction sites with the main issues continuing to be around social distancing and cleaning regimes.

“This is a critical period in the pandemic and diligence must be maintained at all times. Pandemic weariness and vaccination optimism can adversely affect personal and corporate behaviour, but we mustn’t take our eye off the ball.

“Communication, cooperation and coordination in everything we do will be key in 2021 – and I know the CICV Forum will continue to help its members protect themselves and each other as we rebuild and recover.”

Becky Crosland, Chair of the Forum’s health and safety sub-group, said: “It’s encouraging to hear this recognition of the work that has been done, and good to know that the collective efforts of the CICV Forum are appreciated.

“However, Russell is right – we can’t take our foot off the gas. There is a long way to go and the end of the current need for stringent health and safety measures is not yet in sight.

“The construction industry has mostly been extremely patient, but we can’t let complacency creep in and spoil the good work that’s been done by so many in the past few months.”

The CICV Forum has been at the forefront of issuing industry guidance since the Scottish Government strengthened lockdown restrictions on 13 January, reinforcing pleas for everyone in the sector to take responsibility.

In the last few weeks, it has issued updated Construction Operating Guidance and information for those working in domestic and commercial premises, as well as a unique homeworking advice document and checklist.

Set up in March 2020, the Forum is now made up 30 full member bodies, and more than 120 individuals drawn from leading industry trade associations, private companies and professional bodies.

Since its inception, it’s campaigned for a consistent approach to the issues facing the industry, arguing that a common goal is more effective and mutually beneficial.