What would you think if you read this notice on the back of your staff loo door?

[Diditopknot]

“2021 There will be no hospital taxis provided on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day”

There are no buses running on Christmas Day.
To give you context, this is a hospital.
Now overwhelmed by covid and usual winter issues on top.
The nurses start at 7.30 finish at 9pm. Night shift 8.45 til 8

There is no visiting again due to covid so not sure why this has been hidden in a loo, there’s no one to see what a shit thing this is for many nurses who rely on buses to get to work.
It’s the one relief working on Christmas Day that at least you can get home to your family without paying inflated taxi prices.
Those that drive still have to pay to park on Christmas Day or they will be fined.
The nurses are trying to sort out lifts from each other a week before their shift.

Just to add, there are very few nurses, staffing is horrendous so it will be a very low bill for the hospital.

I saw the very exclusive garden centre staff out cutting the grass and trimming the hedges again this week at the hospital…wonder how much that’s costing the hospital?
What about having the garden centre staff come 10 months of the year and using the other 2 months to pay for Christmas Day taxis.
As long as the package is pretty, doesn’t matter what’s going on behind doors does it?

It beggars belief.
What would you think?
Put yourself in the shoes of that nurse reading that, on your knees covering extra shifts all year due to sickness and staff leaving in droves. Facing the start of the 3rd wave. Rubber mask making marks on your face, no break again for the 2nd shift in a row.

Not the whole nhs, our trust is still doing taxis and we are still getting fee parking (shhhh maybe they just forgot). Everyone tries to arrange it so they don't use it but it's there if you need it. I think it's really shitty of your trust.

I’m confused! Have they previously provided taxis and are not this year? I’m pretty amazed that they would have done that in the past to be honest. What happens in the private sector (nightclubs) is not reflective of the public sector. I’m public sector and we have loads of locations with no car park let alone no taxis. I hope everyone can find a lift and it’s not too horrendous.

@chipshopElvis

That sounds horrible and demoralising OP. If taxis for Christmas shifts are usually provided then that's unreasonable. Can you raise it with your union rep?

I agree if it is usually provided it should not suddenly change.

@Helpstopthepain

You get a taxi service ? Our trust wouldn’t dream of it (nor should they!).

Yes the staff should pay £££s to travel into short staffed, shitty conditions on Christmas day if they usually pay less for public transport but its not running through no fault of their own. Just because one trust is crap doesn't mean all of the others should aspire to be so.

I have no idea why anyone is questioning the location of the poster.
Having worked in a few hospitals the back of the toilet door is ALWAYS the best place to display vital information to a captive audience.
Seriously, if there’s anything staff ever really need to know that’s where it’s always displayed!

It seems very petty and short sighted to cancel this at the last moment. A few taxis seems like a small price to pay in exchange for the goodwill of staff.
The alternative might be that staff simply can't get to work on those days and the Trust ends up having to pay ££££ for agency cover.

I never realised nurses ever got this perk. It is shit, but tbh I think it’s more shit that any hospital staff have to pay for parking throughout the year.

Uber are giving a free taxi ride to NHS staff Christmas Day and Boxing Day you just need to register your nhs email address. Hope that helps!

If you’re expected to come into work on a day where there is no public transport to deliver an essential service I think taxis should be provided. We did in social care when I worked frontline. It’s only a couple of days, honestly with the other expenses people can claim this is a drop in the ocean and just makes everyone’s lives easier.

I think the placing of the sign is strange, but if I am honest I would not really expect a paid staff member in any organisation to have their transport to/from work paid for.

Paying for transport is pretty standard in industries where people have to work unsocial hours which mean public transport isn't available. SIL who works in hospitality gets a taxi paid for when she has to come home at 2 a.m.

Wow there are some right miserable arses on this thread. You really begrudge a hospital worker a taxi on Christmas day? When no buses, trains or tubes etc.... are running on an already low salary they will have to pay for a taxi that will charge 4x normal rate as its Christmas day. And they wonder why staff are leaving the nhs in record numbers.

Yes we should pay it, especially for people on a low income (HCAs, porters, cleaners etc....) as they are on the rota to work while all of you will most likely be sat at home on your arse with your family. Shame on a lot of you and your race to the bottom.

One for the union to deal with?

do you have a Joint Staff Committee?
have they been consulted?

@GoodPrincessWenceslas

I think the placing of the sign is strange, but if I am honest I would not really expect a paid staff member in any organisation to have their transport to/from work paid for.

Paying for transport is pretty standard in industries where people have to work unsocial hours which mean public transport isn't available. SIL who works in hospitality gets a taxi paid for when she has to come home at 2 a.m.

Even fast food restaurants do it.

If there’s no public transport available, of course the nhs should be paying for taxis if the staff need them.

is it because the taxi drivers have refused?

Someone put a post like this last year on our local Facebook page - ended up with loads of offers of free lifts for hospital staff (obviously you'd have to be careful who you accepted lifts from!)

It depends on how far the need a taxi for. I suppose at Christmas and New Year it could easily come to £40 to £80 money which we are told the NHS doesn’t have.

@WishUponAStar88

Uber are giving a free taxi ride to NHS staff Christmas Day and Boxing Day you just need to register your nhs email address. Hope that helps!

I got this notification yesterday from Uber too. No Uber in our area but still a good gesture 👏

But the people doing the shifts might not have it either. It's not an unreasonable expectation for the employer to cover extra costs when they're above the normal costs of getting to work.

@audweb

If you’re expected to come into work on a day where there is no public transport to deliver an essential service I think taxis should be provided. We did in social care when I worked frontline. It’s only a couple of days, honestly with the other expenses people can claim this is a drop in the ocean and just makes everyone’s lives easier.

Absolutely and the fact that there are people on this thread arguing against it just shows how removed mumsnet is from real life. Nobody I know in real life would disagree with it either from a moral standpoint or just a practical standpoint of retaining staff and having cover. I’m public sector and not only have I had taxis at Christmas I’ve had them when the weather caused buses to be cancelled because staff shouldn’t be expected to endanger themselves to get to work and we can’t run without them.

@Malibuismysecrethome

It depends on how far the need a taxi for. I suppose at Christmas and New Year it could easily come to £40 to £80 money which we are told the NHS doesn’t have.

Money to pay the staff and ensure they can get home is a very good use of NHS budgets. If you are looking at trade offs and cut backs, that’s not a good place to start.

We aren’t talking about unsociable hours though. OP stated the shifts end at 9pm and 8am, not exactly middle of the night. It’s annoying they’ve cancelled this close if you’re used to getting it but I also don’t see that transport should be put on as a given.

It's years since I nursed on Christmas day. But all the London trusts I worked in provided a taxi. Apart from being about the only Christmas perk, it was essential as the young London nursing work force didn't have cars. It might be different in other parts of the country with less good public transport. I would be very disappointed and also stuffed if they'd scrapped our taxis.

@Malibuismysecrethome

It depends on how far the need a taxi for. I suppose at Christmas and New Year it could easily come to £40 to £80 money which we are told the NHS doesn’t have.

The higher end of that amount could wipe out nearly the whole wage for that shift for a band 2 member of staff. Would be working for a few pounds an hour.

We aren’t talking about unsociable hours though. OP stated the shifts end at 9pm and 8am, not exactly middle of the night

But it's on Christmas Day and there is no public transport. The bus company has decided that it is very much unsocial hours, because they're not expecting their drivers to work and are not providing the service.

If it's a time when most office type workers wouldn't be working, ie between about 6 pm and 8 am, at the weekend or on a bank holiday then it's unsocial hours.