To be worried about oncall?

[NewYoiker]

Does anyone do on call shifts for the nhs? I'm reading my new contract and it doesn't specifically say I have to do oncall but it says the expectation is a 24/7 service despite it being a fully elective service. They mentioned it at interview that on call would be an expectation. But there's no mention of how much I'll get paid for being on call..

Also my working hours are 8-6 min- fri (service not run at the weekend or evenings) but my hours are 37.5 per week does that mean I'll get a day / half day off ? I expected my contract to specify as they've been really vague over email and phone about theses issues! I'm worried about having to go from an oncall shift straight into a normal shift?

I posted in chat and got no answers

Any help would be great!

canyou say your position/department?

can't you email them?

Could your hours include an unpaid lunch break?

Sorry theatre nurse at a cancer hospital. Elective surgery only but on call is an expectation in case of emergency.

I have emailed them and got a really vague response about it being fairly shared out between staff

And be flexible? So earliest start 8am, latest finish 6pm. My previous job had those times but hours to be worked were 35 and I had an unpaid break of 30mins each day.

I have and know people who have.

It's one of those ways of getting the most out of Staff, according "to the needs of the business". As do all Social Care roles do.

You just need to ask how it works in your role.

You won't be getting paid for breaks.

Your hours will include an unpaid lunch break, usually 30 minutes.

Your on call payment is usually a set rate for holding the phone and then an hourly rate if you get called out. The NHS Terms and Conditions handbook is downloadable from the internet and will outline on call payments as they tend to be standard across the board.

Don't forget that the 37.5 hrs doesn't include lunch break (legally at least 20 mins) but 8-6 is still more than this. I'm not sure how you can do oncall on top if the service doesn't run during evenings or weekends, unless it's just the 'extra' hours from 8-6 to make sure someone is available then even if most of your work is 9-5

Ah maybe not then

"I have emailed them and got a really vague response about it being fairly shared out between staff"

X post.

It won't just be you on call, but there will be an expectation that you do your share.

Will it be an issue for you?

I used to be in call for endoscopy, on top of my full time hours. We got a standard (shockingly low) rate for being on call, then hourly rate for coming in. Financially it was a total piss take. I was called in very regularly unfortunately.

No it wont be an issue. I just wanted to clarify with them before I start that I'll get paid for the on call shift  I'll ring recruitment today

Apart from this I'm really excited to start!

In my experience it’s likely to be 4 days 8-6 with lunch break with one day off each week and one oncall a week.

On calls tend to be a standard rate and then more money if you get called in. It sounds like you will be rarely called in.

The wording in the contract about 24 service etc is standard and put in there in case the needs of the service change and your hours need to change to accommodate that.

Congratulations on your new job, it sounds fab and most NHS theatre staff would love such a good rota.

@NameChangeCuddleBums yes I know! I was skipping when I found out I had the job! I'm going from permanent nights to this.

I'm so happy!

Hi @NewYoiker

YANBU. IMO it could be important for you to clarify this and what the expectations are. If I understand you correctly, it is not the expectation of oncall that is itself the problem so much as not knowing what is expected of you, when, and how and indeed if you will be rewarded for what you give to your employer.

At the same time, you will be new to the role. Will you be able to hold onto the uncertainty for a little bit as you get onboarded, and seek clarification once you have gotten your feet under the desk a little? It might be to your advantage to do this, for all that you want and indeed are entitled to a degree of clarification about the oncall situation.

Yeah I just need to know how often I'll be on call and how much I'll get paid for it. Probably not a lot!

Reasonable questions! Maybe YABU to be worried about it, YWNBU to seek clarification, quietly and insistently, but maybe don't make it the first question you ask otherwise you run the risk of being labelled "not a team player" (Maybe I am overthinking or projecting? )

Haha yes! @erinaceus I want to make friends, I won't make it a big deal :)

We do on call, and over all the years (similar role) I’ve been called twice, and had to go in once. We get paid £18 an on call, then an hourly rate if we get called and the normal shift rate plus incentive if we go in. So even if it’s a quick ‘this just happened’ call we still get paid an hour.
Good luck, sounds awesome!

Good plan.

Good luck! Rooting for you today.

I used to get a flat minimal payment for on-call hours then enhanced rate if went in - this stopped when our contracts were 'rationalised' as a cost cutting exercise. And yes, had to still do normal day's work even if been up all night ☹️
On-call hours impinged on days off sometimes too, especially at weekends.
It was a case of an 'either suck it up or leave' attitude from HR, not conducive to good staff morale!

In my last job (I am an ODP) we did one o/c weekend in 6 from Friday at 6pm till Monday at 8am and a night on call every 10 days or so. We had set teams we always did it with, consisting of one anaesthetic practitioner, one scrub and 1 runner and I got called in to actually go to work about 25% of the time.

The pay for being on call was crappy and but you can see it on your payslip but if you go in you get your normal hourly rate plus enhancement depending on time of day, in my trust I think Saturday was +50%