Why is it difficult to get fired in the NHS?

[hawaypet]

I've seen this on quite a few threads now, that it's really hard to lose your job in the NHS. But why? Assuming that you have been employed for less than two years, then they can dismiss you very easily, just as any other company can. So where has this idea come from and why?

@RaisinGhost You need to read the post by @Feminist10101 who works in nhs HR maybe ?

@EveryPlanetHasAYorkshire

Is it? I wasn't sacked but I was unwell and they told me to get better within three weeks or they would get rid of me. I wouldn't have been better in three weeks so I left. I thought it would look better than essentially being sacked.

I worked in the NHS. My contract entitled me to up to 6 months full pay and 6 months half pay in the event of serious illness. Why would I have this contractual benefit if I could be sacked for having a few weeks sickness? Read the detail of your employment contracts and don’t resign due to illness in future without getting proper advice. Unions are often very helpful in that respect. Of course the manager responsible for the budget that pays you would rather you resign. But you had legal protections to prevent them from ‘getting rid of you’ due to illness until such time as you had exhausted your contractual benefits. People often aren’t aware of how protected they are in such situations.

@Liquorishlucy

So you have to personally negociate your salary in the private sector ? Crikey so nurses are all paid differently depending on their 'productivity' whatever that is..

No you don’t - in the private sector all nurses are graded like in the NHS and the pay is fixed for those grades. The hourly rate is higher than the NHS rate and the work is generally a lot easier but the benefits are less in terms of job security, pension, holidays etc.

Someone is compare banking in the private sector to nursing in the NHS - clearly not knowing how private healthcare works at any level!!

our private hospital closed down, so that was unfortunate for the staff who left the NHS to work there!

@EveryPlanetHasAYorkshire

There's obviously more to that story than you're letting on.

Unless you're within a probabtionary period there are clearly set time periods of sickness absence defined in both the medical and AfC contracts for NHS employees, for example if you have 3 years continuous emplyment you are entitled to 6 months full pay, 6 months half pay, there are also very clearly defined rules as to when occupational health and long-term sickness reviews are triggered.

[quote FixTheBone]@EveryPlanetHasAYorkshire

There's obviously more to that story than you're letting on.

Unless you're within a probabtionary period there are clearly set time periods of sickness absence defined in both the medical and AfC contracts for NHS employees, for example if you have 3 years continuous emplyment you are entitled to 6 months full pay, 6 months half pay, there are also very clearly defined rules as to when occupational health and long-term sickness reviews are triggered.[/quote]
You need 5 years service for the 6 months full, 6 months half.

(Seriously, why give completely wrong advise?)

And it depends on your Trust as to how Occ health and reviews work.

I think you'll find it's the CS in general, not just the NHS...

I think it’s fear of confronting and dealing with a situation. when I made a complaint about a Band 7 nurse working in my clinic, I discovered that complaints had been made for 4 years by a range of people. Nothing had changed long term, she simply improved her obnoxious, bullying behaviour for a few weeks, then it all started again. She was protected by a manager above her, hopefully now that woman has gone, something might be done, but I’m not holding my breath.
In the meantime, this woman draws a nice salary, and has been pulled off some tasks as she can’t cope.

I knew a woman you, out of the 10 years she worked at the NHS, 4 of those were on the sick at full pay. It took so long to boot her.