NHS Pay award

[Thedogscollar]

So this is what they have come back with from the insulting 1% offer by increasing it to a paltry 3%.
Workers are leaving in their droves we have a massive deficit in nursing and midwifery which is worsening daily.

I work in the South East of England, we are hugely affected with shortages in staffing, virtually every 12.5 hrs shift I do we cannot have a break due to work acuity and lack of staff. We have junior staff in tears with the pressure put upon them.
We aren't paid for our break and we are hard pushed to get it back as time owing. We cover empty shifts on the bank over and above our contracted hours as we know how hard it is for our colleagues in there.
We are all reaching breaking point some are there now and gone off sick. It is exhausting physically but more so mentally as you know before you even get to work what it's going to be like.

I have payslips going back 10 plus years and in that time my salary has barely changed and I am at the top of my band.

Our management team held an urgent meeting the other day to discuss the crisis going on within our trust with staffing and work acuity. Nothing was really dealt with just more management speak.

This government has to look after the NHS staff that have given so much and still are. Staff retention is in crisis and by offering this paltry pay rise they are doing nothing to stop this disaster becoming a momentous catastrophe resulting in even worsening patient safety levels being eroded even more.

How on earth can this government justify 30 plus billions for track n trace and HSS yet not offer a decent pay rise to NHS workers and in that I include care workers too.

Boris and co should hang their heads in shame but as per they think they are doing so well in offering us anything.

I'm sure I will have people coming on now to say they have lost jobs and taken paycuts and for that I am truly sorry but this cannot be used as an arguement for a huge group of essential workers being financially and emotionally abused by their employer which is exactly what this government are doing.

@seasonalremarks

I agree NHS staff should get a higher pay rise.

Why do you work 12.5 hr shifts? Why not spread it to a normal working week instead of cramming it in over 3 day? Surely that is not good for patient care or staff.

I hated the long shifts and it was the main reason for me leaving. I only worked part time due to finding the working conditions so awful (this is fairly typical for nurses and midwives) so used to work 3 short days. Which equated to 2 long days a week and couldn’t even face that. When a shift is bad due to workload I could cope with being there for 8 hours but not 13.

@fromdownwest oh dear. I worked in the private sector for over 20 years, in the City for many years. So I can compare v easily.
It's not a competition to make everyone's life bad - teachers and school staff wanted to the same mitigation's as were in shops and other workplaces / masks and ventilation and some attempt at social distancing. They got none of that
If it's such a cushy job why don't you do it ? Secondary jobs are v easy to get at the moment.

Can someone tell me what pay grades are in nhs ?
As newly qualified community nurse I know makes quite good money I think? Not sure if unusual
There was no way 10% would be given to nurses or teachers as the funds are simply not there.
Things like free parking etc should be a given for nhs staff and could help hugely for many.
The nhs needs a total reform with less managers etc and more frontline

@seasonalremarks It's not our choice to work 12.5 hour shifts! It was changed years ago, as it's cheaper to pay the same person for a long day than it is to pay 2 people separate shifts for the day for some reason. My manager kindly let me do half shifts when I returned from Mat leave the first few months but then had to return to the long shifts .

I work 37.5 hrs per week condensed into 3 shifts, yes so I get 4 days off but God do I need them

Indeed but plenty of people work long shifts - without shift allowances - and don't get 4 days off to recover.

Of course as a midwife you will see women die and heartbreaking still births. But the majority of NHS staff won't - that was my point in reply to a pp.

I'm sure I will have people coming on now to say they have lost jobs and taken paycuts and for that I am truly sorry but this cannot be used as an arguement for a huge group of essential workers being financially and emotionally abused by their employer which is exactly what this government are doing

You don't actually care about non NHS workers but you expect them to be up in arms about you. On your salary (and benefits) you're not being abused. Your working hours are the problem. And the cost of living. If only you had a powerful union ...

[quote mumsneedwine]@fromdownwest oh dear. I worked in the private sector for over 20 years, in the City for many years. So I can compare v easily.
It's not a competition to make everyone's life bad - teachers and school staff wanted to the same mitigation's as were in shops and other workplaces / masks and ventilation and some attempt at social distancing. They got none of that
If it's such a cushy job why don't you do it ? Secondary jobs are v easy to get at the moment. [/quote]
I am happy in my job, not the best paid, at time awful conditions, but I enjoy it. Could I get more money? Most likely? However, I am content with what I have, and don't demand more.

In addition, the prospect of being a staff room fills me with fear!

NHS staff are in the fortunate position that their jobs are never going to be made redundant, a comfort few employees have these days

This isn't true either. Management "streamline" jobs, merge them to save money and cut corners where they can. They never look at management roles when they streamline, though....

The NHS have my full support here and I don’t question that a pay rise is needed, beyond 3%, but I wonder what people would be happy with % wise?

Have unions come out and asked for a specific increase?

I may well be ignorant on this, so forgive me, but surely it’s better to say ‘we want +%’ and garner support from the public that way?

@DanniDuck

YABU. As a number of posters have said, 3% is more than many others have got, and yeah I will say it, you are lucky to still have a job. Millions have lost their jobs and livelihoods this past year and a half ...

In addition, NHS workers get so many concessions, that us mere mortals don't get.

I said to my DH, and he agreed, that no matter what they had been offered, they would have complained.

I know I sound harsh and unforgiving, but I am just sick of NHS workers complaining so much about their lot. Like NO-ONE works as hard as them and NO-ONE deserves a 12.5% pay rise more than them.

And as for the 'we work 12.5 hour shifts' argument. The people posting this are forgetting to mention that it's 3 shifts per week, with 4 days off. You're not doing yourself any favours by over-egging the pudding.

In addition, many people are getting compassion fatigue with NHS workers now, as many MANY people have had a far worse time over this past 15-16 months, and been through a LOT more shit than any of the NHS workers. And their empathy well is running dry.

I haven't spoke to a single person in real life over this past day or so, who has sympathy with the NHS workers and their 'paltry' 3% payrise. As I said, many people have their own problems, they are struggling to pay bills/rent/mortgage, and are wondering if they will have a job (or indeed a HOME) this time next year. So the 3% payrise whinge is getting peoples backs up. Seriously.

Yes I am very serious about this. Are you really so short sighted to see this will affect you, your family and friends. If staff are not retained by better working conditions and by that I mean adequate staffing and an improvement on wages that has been long over due by 10yrs plus then the impact on patient safety will be catastrophic.

Yes I work long shifts but not my choice our trust said no options it's 12.5 hrs shifts or nothing.
As for concessions the only one I got was going in ahead of the queue after a night shift one morning for some milk. If that's your idea of a great benefit well so be it.

I have never said no one works as hard as me or no one deserves a 12.5% payrise more than me. Everyone deserves a payrise.

I am not whinging, au contraire, I think you have that particular attribute in spades, particularly towards NHS staff.

Those that think teachers add little or no value to their children's education - I really fucking hope they're homeschooling. They're not there to babysit your brats, you know, so you can work.

@jasjas1973 unions are gone in this country for private sector and have been for some time. Also we have lots of rules and laws etc but try actually taking someone to a tribunual without money.
Private firms many take the piss out staff as well , most seem to if gone up to a 40 hr plus week and wages barely above minimum wage for quite stressfull full on jobs.
The big issue is cost of buting house renting is so huge in most of the country it makes it hard , realistically to many a £30000 a year job is well paid but even that is a struggle to get by on in many areas due to high rent/ mortgage etc
If a huge payrise was given then half of it would be taken back in taxes.

@worriedatthemoment

Can someone tell me what pay grades are in nhs ? As newly qualified community nurse I know makes quite good money I think? Not sure if unusual There was no way 10% would be given to nurses or teachers as the funds are simply not there. Things like free parking etc should be a given for nhs staff and could help hugely for many. The nhs needs a total reform with less managers etc and more frontline

approx 25k p.a band 5. Free parking needs paying for (not that i m saying your wrong on that) but its not "free" money, would cost more than this payrise.

One could argue that the NHS needs more and better managers, not less, after all, we have just seen the nhs get ripped off for a drug that went up 7000% !
Good buying policies, effectively enforced, may have prevented that.

Good management is essential in any organisation to ensure front line staff can work to their best abilities.

@DragonMamma yes I think they wanted 12,5 %

The reason there are ‘low vacancies’ is because either posts have been pulled or restructured which gets the rate down or the people who are in those jobs are on long term sick so you can’t recruit into them, so you have no vacancies but also no staff.

Also people are applying for jobs like nursing, midwifery, the police etc because they have realised that in a pandemic you need to be in a reasonably bullet proof job. I worked in healthcare and in the arts; my sibling lost their whole career, I just lost one of mine, and everyone said you’re lucky you stayed in the NHS.

Where so much paid employment is to do with stuff that isn’t ‘essential in an apocalypse situation’ it’s inevitable people will lose their jobs unfortunately if that happens. But the likelihood is very miniscule- we are just unlucky it happened now.

3% for the shit we have had to deal with is crap though when the NHS staff are being blamed for government policy decisions they have had to abide by.

Once again @DanniDuck, what are these concessions you referred to?

In addition, NHS workers get so many concessions, that us mere mortals don't get

[quote DanniDuck]**@fromdownwest* and @GreenLakes I think we have hit a raw nerve with @mumsneedwine* and a couple of other posters here.

And yes yes YES, @ChainJane at the start of the thread said that NHS workers are getting a £1000 a month payrise, when they meant £1000 a year. They got it wrong, move on and STFU about it FGS.[/quote]
It really doesn't take much. A very very precious occupation.

One could ridcule and berate my profession all day long, and I would not care. I get paid, I enjoy my work, I pay my bills.

Simple

@DragonMamma

15% is the unions’ demand

I’ve just qualified and due to start my new role next month. I’m going straight into district nursing, but hoping to sign up for the bank at a local trust once I’ve been qualified for 6 months. I’m in the North West and staffing here is similar. At times it’s damn unsafe and you can’t provide the care you want because you’re pulled in all directions.

The government should hang their heads in shame. YANBU op.

@jasjas1973 more isn't always better though , sometimes streamlining and getting the right people on is more efficient.
The thing is what people forget is that for a lot of people £25000 is a good wage so its balancing it
Also i could be wrong but when the nhs get a pay rise is it all admin, managers etc or just frontline ?

It works out an extra £1000 a YEAR not a month think you’ve read that wrong or theyve written it wrong! It’s only 3%… Band 5 nurse starts on £24,000 roughly 3% is £720, they’ll get an extra £720 for the year… so that’s an extra £60 a month quite a difference between £1000 a month!

What's the lowest wage a NQ nurse can get?

Minimum wage for a trainee solicitor. Those who work in legal aid areas can and do get NMW.

www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/hr-and-people-management/recommended-minimum-salary-for-trainee-solicitors-and-sqe-candidates

@ohfourfoxache

The only people that have had a steady pay rise over the last decade are our politicians.

So whilst there is all this infighting, we’re not focusing on the greedy fuckers with their snouts in the trough

Until the masses learn to work together nothing is going to change

Well that's not true, I work in the private sector, salaried role and have had a 2-3% pay rise every year depending on my performance for the last 17 years.

I have out earned my equally qualified friend who is a nurse, due to her being at the top of the pay scale and her dismal lack of pay rises over the years.

Looking at her health, she's always catches any bug that's going about, always think that's partially due to the constant switch between day shift and night shift, that can not be healthy.

@Blossomtoes maybe they mean 10% discount you get in places ?? I know some shops do it and sometimes higher percentages occasionally ?? Thats all I can think of , unless you include free biscuits