Dear Member
On behalf of our members Plymouth in UNISON wrote to the Livewell Board to ask them to resolve our two tier pension system
We are sad and disappointed that the Directors of Livewell have decided that some of their hard-working staff do not deserve access to the NHS pension. We believe by their actions the board has failed to abide by Livewells stated values of being Kind – Respectful — Inclusive – Ambitious – Responsible – Collaborative
Plymouth In UNISON has committed to organising Livewell members to overturn the decision of the board and to ensure that our members are treated fairly and receive similar benefits as our NHS colleagues.
We will communicate further with members in the new year with more details but are keen to get contacts in every area of Livewell to champion this campaign and ensure every member is engaged. We will need members to actively take part in this campaign and help us work up our strategy and plan so we can take the fight to the decision-makers. Please email the branch if you are interested in joining that team.
In the meantime, we have challenged the Directors of Livewell and posed the following questions:
We ask if the decision of the board to refuse to open the NHS scheme is a kind act.
The decision of former directors to leave the NHS 13 years ago put a growing number of Livewell staff at financial detriment. The often-quoted Darzi report said that “the Health and Social Care Act of 2012 was a calamity without international precedent. It took a “scorched earth” approach to health reform, the effects of which are still being felt to this day. Livewell was set up as a direct result of those so-called reforms.
Staff who work for the organisation are still suffering financially today by missing out on the NHS pension provision compared to their 1.3 million NHS colleagues who undertake similar work.
We ask if the decision by the board to refuse to open the NHS scheme is a responsible act
We note that there are added benefits of the NHS scheme that go further than the defined benefit scheme which are not available to those who have access to only the Scottish widow’s pension:
- a pension with the option of a tax-free lump sum when you retire
- survivors’ pensions payable for life to a spouse, partner, or civil partner
- dependents pension payable for any child up to the age of 23
- ill health retirement options if you become too ill to work
- early retirement option
NHS employers state that the NHS pension supports the NHS People Plan and People Promise by recognising and rewarding our NHS people and allowing them to work and retire flexibly. The Scheme is a key element of the overall reward package for staff and can be a valuable tool for recruitment and retention.
The decision works against those stated aims for example, in this month’s people assurance report, some areas of the organisation have a 20.51% vacancy rate. Plymouth in UNISON believes that Livewell should be at least able to match comparator NHS organisation in the Devon ICS system, a system in which Livewell are a key stakeholder. The same system that itself commits to valuing its workforce and being the best place to work
We ask if the decision by the board to refuse to open the NHS scheme is a collaborative one
We note that a sizeable amount of the workforce who were eligible to take part in the Livewell survey responded positively and are not going to be happy with this negative decision. We believe that most staff who have the benefit of being able to retire on the NHS pension scheme would also back an opening up of the scheme to their colleagues
We ask if the decision by the board to refuse to open the NHS scheme is an inclusive one.
We also note that the highest-paid director in the last accounts published on the Companies House LIVEWELL SOUTHWEST CIC filing history – Find and update company information – GOV.UK earned more than £212,805 and had an added company pension contribution on top of their salary of £24, 015. A band 2 salary is less than what is paid into what is presumably their NHS pension.
We note that employers pay over 23% of staff salary into the NHS pension and the Scottish widow pension is a single-digit employer contribution. Over the years refusing to open the scheme up to all staff has inevitably contributed to the large profit/ surplus of Livewell as published at companies house each year, which was reportedly more than £11 million in the reserve account in 2024. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07584107/filing-history
We ask if the decision by the board to refuse to open up the NHS scheme is a respectful one
A few years ago, the trade unions at Livewell challenged the unfairness of what is effectively a two-tier workforce, we discussed the issue of the Doctors who had been taking honorary contracts elsewhere to obtain the pension provision, effectively bypassing the closed direction. Livewell suggested at that time they had taken legal advice, and it was decided that the practice would be stopped, however recently we have been informed that this practice still happens
Does the Livewell board believe that directors and doctors deserve to be treated differently from the rest of their colleagues who are often earning considerably less than themselves?
Yours sincerely
Plymouth in UNISON
