Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to keep coasting in my NHS job?

39 replies

Coa5ting · 12/06/2025 12:48

NC for this.
I work 3 days/week as a maternity tobacco dependency advisor. As part of a push from NHS England they wanted someone doing this role in every Trust. The way it works is that the midwives ask each woman at their booking appointment if they smoke or vape, and if they do, they're offered a referral to me.
The problem is that there isn't enough demand for the service to fill my hours. So I spend a lot of my time on Mumsnet doing "busy work" or life admin.
Part of me wants to tell my line manager I need more work, but part of me feels like I'm fulfilling the role I've been employed for and it's not my fault they've employed me for more hours than they need.
I guess it's more of a WWYD - come clean or keep coasting - but for the purpose of the poll, AIBU to keep coasting??

OP posts:
Original poster
Coa5ting · 12/06/2025 13:56

eqpi4t2hbsnktd · 12/06/2025 13:55

Coast, buy put cash away and be on the look out. And if team / managers ask for help in other areas - put your hand up.

Thank you, this is good advice about volunteering when help is asked for

OP posts:
eqpi4t2hbsnktd · 12/06/2025 13:55

Coast, buy put cash away and be on the look out. And if team / managers ask for help in other areas - put your hand up.

Original poster
Coa5ting · 12/06/2025 13:55

CranfordScones · 12/06/2025 13:45

Just keep coasting. Revel in your cynically indifferent attitude to the efforts of other taxpayers who can afford to keep you so underemployed.

I mean, I'm on about £13ph which is probably significantly less than the good folks bankrolling me.
And I do do my job, there just isn't enough of it for me to do.
I'm not cynically indifferent, just a bit stuck. I don't want to draw attention to the fact that my role might not actually be needed because I do need a job to pay my rent! But equally its not very gratifying to be wasting so much time, hence posting here for advice.

OP posts:
sharpenedroof · 12/06/2025 13:54

This is not unusual in the public sector. Me and my team colleague enthusiastically volunteered to help out another team recently as neither of us have anywhere near enough to do...

Jobs which are part of 'initiatives' like this can be particularly bad. It was some bright sparks idea but no-one bothered to scope out what uptake would be like.

I attend very high level meetings with the Chief Execs of public bodies and the quality of decision making is shocking. I can quite see how your job was leapt on as a brilliant initiative with no real scrutiny as to whether it was needed.

Despite terrible funding pressures, there is still so much inefficiency in the public sector due to poor management, poor decision making, poor culture and initiative-itis.

HiddenInCubeOfCheese · 12/06/2025 13:48

I don’t think the NHS is a shambles because employees coast.

I hadn’t used the NHS in 20 years until recently wherein I went for my first maternity midwife appointment (to get the elusive info pack from the midwife). They took 4 vials of blood…didn’t label them and asked me to come back in the week. I had these bloods done privately for £1000. I had cancelled my care with that NHS hospital as I was going private. FOUR TIMES they booked me for other maternity appointments with a strapline “if you are late or don’t attend, these appointments cost the NHS £179”. FIVE TIMES it took me to get myself finally removed from their system.

So, on quick maths, that’s the best part of £2000 the NHS systems nearly spunked up the wall.

Original poster
Coa5ting · 12/06/2025 13:47

Yes, I think those alluding to the role not being around for much longer are probably right. I am keeping an eye out for other roles, but there's very little about at the moment!
@nahthatsnotforme Definitely not! Band 3 😁 But agree that it's a really) poor use of money. When I applied I really believed in the role, but the women don't want it 🤷🏼‍♀️
@teenmaw The idea of going to my line manager and "getting a bloody fright" is one of the things that keeps me coasting! I've been in the role just over a year and I'm worried that if I put my hand up now he'll wonder why I didn't say anything sooner. SM campaigns and antenatal awareness (in the form of posters/literature in the antenatal clinics) are what I mean by "busy work". They're not really in the JD but they give me something to do that's relevant to the role. Training for staff might be a goer but not with the amount of red tape involved in arranging training sessions, getting staff to attend etc.

OP posts:
CranfordScones · 12/06/2025 13:45

Just keep coasting. Revel in your cynically indifferent attitude to the efforts of other taxpayers who can afford to keep you so underemployed.

BeautifulPeopleGo · 12/06/2025 13:28

I imagine at some point it will be reviewed and the funding will be pulled. So coast but I would be mindful it won’t last. I say this as an nhs nurse also.

teenmaw · 12/06/2025 13:25

Jesus wept op. Speak to your manager about project work, upskilling staff, social media promotion, more intensive support for current clients, antenatal awareness raising, community work. If I were your manager you’d get a bloody fright.

CucumberCool · 12/06/2025 13:22

I'm interested in what band you are. I think 4 or below You should coast. Above you should say something imo

nahthatsnotforme · 12/06/2025 13:10

No offense to you OP but just another example of waste in the nhs. Don’t tell me you’re a band 7 specialist nurse, please.
Your skills could be used so much better.

Agix · 12/06/2025 13:05

Keep coasting whilst you can, I say. It won't last long.

HiddenInCubeOfCheese · 12/06/2025 13:04

Coast, and I say that regardless of NHS or not

surethingmaybe · 12/06/2025 12:53

You might find that with the number of correspondence for “mutually agreed resignations” and (currently) voluntary redundancies that your role isn’t funded much longer. So I would coast but be looking for other work.

Swipe left for the next trending thread