To ask if you would go for this promotion (nhs related)?

[Frazzledforever]

A year ago today I took a large pay cut to work as a band 3 admin in my local NHS hospital: I did it because it was ten minutes walk from my daughters school and I could do nearly every drop off and pick up. The pay cut has really disrupted our finances and I've got into quite a lot of debt in a year as it's taken me longer to readjust to lots less money but be in a more stressful job.
In September my supervisor took an acting up post as a band five and asked me if I would be interested in acting up into her role for three months to see if I like it. Nothing more happened but last week it has formally been advertised internally and interviews should be next week. I was really excited about it although it would be a lot more responsibility as I thought I would be on a similar wage to my previous job. However I found out last week that I would be on the bottom of band 4 which would be 50p more per hour than my current wage.
Now I'm not sure if it's worth it as:
1.) I like my current role and ward.
2.) I wouldn't have a permanent band 4 role unless my supervisor was permanently hired to do her new role, which she doesn't like.
3.) it would give me experience of a band 4 post but there are no posts currently available in my hospital which is very small and none of the current band fours are likely to move on as they all live local and have school hours which suit them.
4.) the admin manager who you are the support for is very nice but notorious for not doing her job and asking others to cover when she 'works from home' and has time off for sickness.
The only reason I'm considering is that I'm not sure I'd be considered for any future band 4/5 posts if I've only been a ward clerk.
Please Tell me your experiences and if it all worked out! No one else is interested in the post so I think it's pretty much mine if I wanted it.

It would set alarm bells ringing that no one else is interested

@StealthPolarBear it's because the admins are mostly older and at the top of their bands so no financial incentive to move up and also don't really want extra hours or responsibilities.

I think I would just go for it OP. You don’t know what it could lead to.

As an aside, ward clerks in my Trust are paid band 2 wage. I thought AfC was supposed to abolish disparity of pay throughout the NHS.

@PinkiOcelot all the trusts are different. I don't know if it's because it's in a medium secure unit.

Be careful that going up to a band 4 doesn’t mean you go up a level in what percentage you have to pay in pension. When I went from a full time band 3, to a full time band 4, I was £50 a month worse off, whilst on the bottom rung of band 4 pay.

@Hairyfairy01 hadn't thought of that either! Was it worth it (apart from financially?)

When I did some temping work in the NHS, the medical secs were all band 4s. Are band 4s managers now?!

@Frazzledforever yes they certainly seem to be now. I remember they said when AfC was being brought in a instead of A&C, that all similar jobs across the NHS should be the same pay bands.
One thing if you did take the 4 and it became permanent, there are less spines in the band to reach the top.

@Biggobyboo basically yes. In my Trust med secs were downgraded to band 3 with only a few med secs being 4 but with line management added to the role.

@PinkiOcelot that's the way our place is going. Minuting some very intense, highly technical meetings which used to be only done by band 4's, now it's our job. Which is fine as I want to prove myself but if there are no band 4 roles available apart from temporary ones like this one then what's the point?
I used to get paid £12 per hour just to answer the phone and type up letters in my old job! But it was so boring.

I was being paid nearly £11 an hour a decade ago to audio type! No answering the phone or dealing with queries. Purely typing. From memory, there were a couple of senior med secs at band 5 who were line managers but everybody else was a band 4.

How awful to be downgraded. I think much of the dictation is automated or sent off to India/Philippines to be typed and returned the next day now?

It would still be a pay rise of over 2k across the year (full time salary). I took a band 4 secondment (maternity cover) and then the team restructured so there were 3 band 4 positions permanently, one of which I got. You don't know what will happen in the future, and if you don't like it, you have your band 3 job as backup.

If however, someone at the top of band 3 took the job, they would not move to the bottom of band 4. There would be an increase in salary, even if small.

@tealandteal very small! My friend just went from top of band four to bottom of band 5 and we're talking about £2.20 per month, less than a latte!

Yes very small but in 5 years time she will be £7k better off a year. So it is more of a long term investment.

@tealandteal very true, is that with AFC?

Acting up on a temporary basis usually opens up a permanent position one way or another. That's how it has worked in my experience. So if you want to progress then go for it.

Will you be able to resume your band 3 role after the promotion with no issues? In which case you get experience but no risk.

Is it being advertised as a secondment or a fixed term contract? If it's a secondment, I'd go for it as your band 3 role will be there for you to go back to after 3 months. It's worth doing it to get the experience.

If it's a 3 month FTC, then no, I wouldn't give up a permanent role.

Yes it's a secondment so on will still be there when I go back.

That is AFC, just comparing the top of band 4 with the top of band 5. Obviously you have to take in to account pension, student loan repayment etc. However I would apply in your position, just because there is nothing available right now doesn't mean there won't be in 3/6/12 months. Secondments often get extended and people are always going on maternity leave, long term sickness, relocation, new positions created by restructuring etc. Good luck!

Sounds like no problems from what I saw which is good.
Once you drop down, will you drop to the top of the band, or are you already there?