The Cat needs help

[cheshirecat]

I currently work 24 hours in an outpatients clinic. Sometimes work more to cover for hols, sickness etc.

I usually put my extra hours on my timesheet and get paid the same hourly rate as my usual rate.

Our trust has now put in a proposal that all extra shifts go though the nurse bank, and we must join the nurse bank to do extra shifts. They have said that they will cap band 5 salary at mid band 5. The upshot of this is that any extra hours i will be working will be at a lesser hourly rate of pay than my normal hourly rate of pay.

Any thoughts, feelings? Just feels like a massive kick in the belly after all those unpaid hours I have worked in my many years of working for the NHS. Also, beware, may be coming to a hospital near you..........

[LiverpoolJane]

As a manager the majority of my staff are full time but I do have a few part time staff. Many are on the nurse bank anyway and they will pencil themselves down on the off duty to do the bank reserve shifts. I have recently aquired 10 new staff - at long last - and most of these are 30 hours per week. They all want to do full time hours so for them when needs allow they do 37.5 hours and I put the extra 7.5 hours down on my SVL at the end of the month as added plain time so it is paid in with their other extra duty. The staff that are full time work extra as part of the bank (this includes myself as I do extra also)

I do think it is only fair to pay you at your usual rate up to full time hours - that's my personal opinion.

[XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN]

Speak to your unions, my trust did this and everyone stopped working bank, it didn't last for long as many of the can only run by using bank and agency.

I am not sure they are allowed to do this under agenda for change.

[Fonenurse]

If thje job you are doing is your own, then you should be paid at that rate... as Sharrie says, ring your unions asap...

Once you have worked your 37.5 hours in a week, then you should be paid as overtime, not bank - it's another cost saving measure by management - please don't work it as bank - you are entitled to overtime rates....

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

Even when I last worked in the Uk we had this problem and our own staff stopped doing any extra shift because they objected to working for NHSP by the way do they still have the NHSP?? Or was that another expensive usless institution

[LiverpoolJane]

The only problem with insisting on getting paid overtime and not bank rate is that you may find that you'll not get any extra at all - which may suit some but I know I need to do a bit extra now and then so volunteer to do so via the nurse bank.

My Trust has a situation where a lot of the recently qualified student nurses have not got a job so have been taken on as bank. When we need a shift covering we have to put it out to bank - we cannot authorise overtime. There are enough trained staff on the nurse bank to cover outstanding shifts without needing to consider overtime. We are also in an agreement with other Trusts locally and the staff have the option of working in several hospitals.

[cheshirecat]

I am not asking for overtime. I am only asking to be paid the same rate I normally am paid for doing the same job in the same place of work I usually work in.

We have a meeting on Thursday, so I hope I will be given time to go to it and express my concerns.

[LiverpoolJane]

That was the point I was trying to make in my first response - that if you are part time your manager should be able to pay you at the same rate up until 37.5 hours (added plain time)- that's what I do for my staff instead of them doing bank.

After that i have to put everything out to the bank as they have nurses on contracted hours, they get paid whether they work or not so the Trust wouldn't authorise OT when they have nurses being paid for sitting at home.

If they couldn't cover shifts with bank then they may consider OT but the ways things are in my Trust that is looking unlikely.

I am not asking for overtime. I am only asking to be paid the same rate I normally am paid for doing the same job in the same place of work I usually work in.

We have a meeting on Thursday, so I hope I will be given time to go to it and express my concerns.

[cheshirecat]

According to the proposal they have put out, no one will be allowed to work extra hours. All extra shifts will have to go through the bank. Will let everyone know what happens after Thursday.

[cheshirecat]

Did not go to the meeting as I was too busy in clinics, but spoke to the assistant director of nursing. Basically they will have to do this as otherwise the trust will go bankrupt!!!

Have phoned the RCN and am trying to get hold of one of the stewards. So basiclly no further forward.

Am thinking about going to my MP and seeing is she can make any headway.

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

Good Luck

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

generally trusts are happy for part time employees to work up to full time hours over the pay period as they won't have to pay the NHSPcommmission what they don'yt want to do is allow people to work overtime because it is more expensive than anything organisaed through NHSP ...

the simple answer is for substantive staff not t o work bank and see how long it lasts ... however many trusts 'won't be held to ransom' and instead will just use NHSP and close beds if they have to