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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

NHS bank workers

45 replies

Countdownis35 · 26/04/2022 20:33

Since the basic rate for NHS Bank staff has been scrapped and increased by quite a bit! What do you think of it? It mainly applies to the day shifts.

Do you think full time staff will leave to do BANK permanently? I was looking today and it makes a huge difference similar to Weekend/night rates. For B2 and B3 imparticular.

OP posts:
Toddlerteaplease · 26/04/2022 20:45

Many of my colleagues are doing agency, as am I. I don't like the ward I go to. But it pays extremely well for doing bugger all. And you leave it all at the end of the shift, knowing you don't have to come back if you don't want too!

Toddlerteaplease · 26/04/2022 20:46

I think people still like to have the security of a permanent job though.

HollyGoLoudly1 · 26/04/2022 20:56

Do you mind me asking what the rates are?

TonkaTruckduck · 26/04/2022 20:56

It depends hugely on your life. for a semi retired person they'd probably choose the higher hourly rate.
For a young person keen to be sponsored to do nurse training a few quid an hour won't sway that.
You'll get people who value sick pay, maternity pay and stability over hourly rate.

Original poster
Countdownis35 · 26/04/2022 21:02

Its not a few quid extra per hour it's literally approx £6 extra an hour! Big difference... I agree with job security especially if you have children. It's a lot of money BANK will be paying out..

OP posts:
UrslaB · 26/04/2022 21:18

My sister in law who is a specialised and highly qualified nurse quit her full time position to work Bank full time about a year and a half ago. The Trust she works in is massively understaffed and so there are a tsunami of bank shifts available, something which varies from trust to trust. She found that she could earn the same money or better doing alternate weeks of 3 days and 4 days each month. The ultimate irony was that she spends about half the time she works back in the same unit that she left, doing the same job and earning more money. Working bank means she can choose when she wants to work and this gives her a much better flexibility for childcare if one of them is sick or on holidays. It also reduced their huge childcare bill because between her and my brother now both working a 4 day week it means they only need 3 days of childcare.

There are downsides. No sick pay or holiday pay so she has had to set up a savings account specifically to start saving a % of her pay per month to cover such eventualities and 'pay herself' from this when those events arise. She has had to set up a private pension to pay into herself. She sometimes works split shifts, an 8 hour shift at one unit followed by a two hour break and then another four hour shift in another unit in order to get the hours she desires per month. She does miss the collegiality of being part of a set team in a set unit. The uncertainty of moving around for bank shifts and meeting lots of new people, getting the rhythm of new units/patients every week can be annoying she thinks.

The uncertainty and changing lifestyle isn't for everyone. The upside is that despite the issues of having to save for sick/holiday pay and getting her own pension, she still feels her and the kids lives are better. Financially they are better off too. This may not be true for ebvery nurse however as bank pay can vary so much depending on role and trust.

EgonSpengler2020 · 26/04/2022 21:28

I worked bank for a period of time because HR/management were being extremely difficult and unflexibile with regard to part time working (now have a nice part time contract under a different manager). In my Trust (in Wales so may explain the difference) bank have always been paid the appropriate pay point with pay progression after specific number of hours (averaging approx 8 hours a week so nothing significant) but no sooner than 12 months. If I had had to drop back to the bottom of my pay band I'm not sure I would have gone on the bank.

Statutory sick pay and SMP are pretty shit and many trust/managers will make you fight for even this, despite the law being quite clear.

Toddlerteaplease · 26/04/2022 22:36

I worked a Saturday night in a district general (agency) and got paid £324 after tax. I did practically nothing all night! However that hospital is is dire straits and pays more. I believe standard daily rate is £19ph ish. But you have to factor in travel costs a well.

Original poster
Countdownis35 · 26/04/2022 22:49

@Toddlerteaplease are you a HCA or a nurse? That's an excellent day rate of pay! I know it's day shifts that have been a huge problem where I work as usually the days are heavier and rubbish pay.

OP posts:
Toddlerteaplease · 26/04/2022 22:55

I'm a nurse. I'm usually a band 6 on my own unit, but band five for agency. NHSP pays similar rates to the basic agency rate. But I haven't joined as like to have a break from my trust.

Original poster
Countdownis35 · 26/04/2022 23:12

There's no NHSP in my trust any longer. I am still gobsmacked that a band 2 can take home over what a band 5 does if they join the BANK full time. I did a rough calculation today and if I left my part time role and did 4 shifts a week BANK... I would earn over 35k a year!

Last weekend I cleared £300 that's just for an Early and a Late shift. Its crazy.

OP posts:
JedEye · 26/04/2022 23:22

This is depressing to read. The NHS can’t go on like this surely.

TonkaTruckduck · 27/04/2022 10:15

@Countdownis35 our bank rates haven't changed, I just had a look. Is this a local thing to you do you think?

IroningBoardz · 27/04/2022 12:43

Our banks rates have increased also.

Original poster
Countdownis35 · 27/04/2022 13:28

I'm not sure... in my trust BANK rates increase now from the 1st May. The basic band 2 rate is being scrapped for day shifts and it's changing to £16 odd. To be fair the issue is there's a lot of patients awaiting social needs and a huge pile up. Days are usually not the first shift BANK will pick up... as its the lowest paid or busiest quite often. For £16+ an hour I would do it if I had childcare for week days.

OP posts:
jimmyhill · 27/04/2022 13:36

Why do you keep writing Bank in capital letters? It's not an acronym

Mrscaptainraymondholt · 27/04/2022 14:12

trusts are working hard to reduce agency spend so it may only be beneficial for a short time while they recruit from the UK and overseas - it's not sustainable in the long run...

TonkaTruckduck · 27/04/2022 14:24

@Countdownis35 how is that working in practice, a Band 5 is only on about £17 for plain days. Have they increased all the bands to keep a differential? You really can't sustain a registrant running a busy shift on a quid an hour more than a B2.

FarmGirl78 · 27/04/2022 15:01

I'm not a nurse, but my Trust are experiencing massive staff absences due to illness and they regularly review their bank pay levels to boost ward staff levels as and when needed. In addition to enhanced bank pay they're also giving extra financial reward, eg for every 10 shifts works you get a bonus lump sum. Or 10% extra ontop of the enhanced hourly rate if you do certain wards. I can't quote all the figures, but I imagine for someone who didn't have childcare worries to fit round it would great for hammering it if you needed extra cash on occasion.

Original poster
Countdownis35 · 27/04/2022 15:10

@TonkaTruckduck it's the band 2s that are needed though as a lot of wards are heavier than usual. Unfortunately the way we nurse in UK is different to other places where they take less patients but they are more hands on with personal care and have less HCA. Personally I think that way is better it is what nursing is about! Which seems to have gone a miss with band 6s being promoted so quickly and the band 4 and the band 4 registered.... I mean.... I don't know about the band 5 because none of the band 5s do bank nor does our band 6 (outpatients).

OP posts:
Original poster
Countdownis35 · 27/04/2022 15:16

jimmyhill · 27/04/2022 13:36

Why do you keep writing Bank in capital letters? It's not an acronym

Is that what you have to the thread? Because it won't kill you to be kind.

Didn't your mother tell you... if you haven't got anything nice to say....🙄

OP posts:
prescribingmum · 27/04/2022 16:04

JedEye · 26/04/2022 23:22

This is depressing to read. The NHS can’t go on like this surely.

Until the NHS pay and treat its staff well, it is going to be far more appealing to do bank or agency work where they can earn the same amount for the fraction of the shifts, work around childcare rather than have it dictated to you plus you get to leave at the end of your shift.

From previous threads about NHS pay, the majority of permanent staff should be grateful they have a job and not dare want a raise despite pay cuts (when inflation is taken into account), working f2f through covid (if you didn't work on a covid ward, you apparently just twiddled your thumbs and filmed dances all day 🙄), ever increasing workload, staff around you leaving, regularly staying late etc etc. The outcome is that many will take this option instead, can't say I blame them!

Government aim is to divide and conquer so they can dismantle the NHS bit by bit and they are succeeding

Mrsherdwick · 27/04/2022 16:14

I’m a band 5 on the nursing bank. I get £14.60 per hour (days).

groeggmeg · 27/04/2022 16:15

I’m top 6 and I’m employed by my trust for 30 hours a week, so I do those hours and then one long shift nhsP shift a week, on a Sunday a long day is almost £400 pre tax and NI. I usually do one night a week, it almost doubles my monthly wages. I wouldn’t leave to do it solely as I need the security, but I see why people do, it’s lucrative!

Crinklecuts · 27/04/2022 16:54

Not to rain on the parade of those who got a pay rise! Congratulations! You well and truly deserve it.

But ….. your hourly rate on bank is now more than the standard hourly rate of Foundation Doctors. (48h/salary).

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