Is the NHS payment going to all NHS workers or just the COVID frontline?

[Tamingofthehamster]

Because a lot have nhs have had the easiest year ever with ops being cancelled etc, so is it going to be targeted?

@Rupertpenrysmistress so sorry to hear that. My friend was in the same position and changed role. She's now a practice nurse. Less pay but much happier .

@catlovingdoctor

Some NHS dentists were remobilised to work on the front line as HCAs and in district nursing teams. Therefore they fully deserve the same payment that other front line staff are getting.

Our redeployed dentist refused to empty a commode, decided community working was not "appropriate" for her and spent the next few months sitting in an empty department.

The problem is no 2 people in the NHS or any service had the same experience. How would you decide who deserves it and who doesn't?

I have had the worst few months of my NHS career, we have been so busy I have genuinely unsafe and worked hours over each week. I don't want extra cash; I want the money pumped back into other NHS and statutory services so I can get on with the job I was employed to do and stop trying to bridge the gap of so many of the other closed and limited provision services.

I've worked in the NHS for over 25 years & have never, ever had a bonus of any sort, unlike my friends in the private sector.

We are all exhausted & feeling the strain. We have changed roles, redesigned services literally overnight. I could go on.

It's really demoralising reading threads like this.

LargeProsecco All I can say is a million thank yous. It's sad people don't agree with it and it's sad that a lot of these people complaining have probably had the comfort and safety of working from home. From speaking with others at work, the views displayed on here are not reflected by the general public.
Those workers who passed away leaving young children or who chose to stay in accommodation away from their family to protect them, touched my heart. Again, thank you.

@Outsidemum1 I think these are very much the views of the public at large.

Lots of people have had, and are having,a hard time.

I’ve lost a lot of income but feel fortunate to be in some work. There are people with no income at all now. Think how that feels

It's really demoralising reading threads like this.

I don’t think the public at large are against staff within the NHS being paid for the work they do, this bonus however feels like a political soundbite ahead of an election. Your work should be valued with decent pay and conditions, not a one off bonus.

I’m public sector and too have never had a bonus, but have had 10 years of pay freeze with more to come. It looks like I’ll benefit from the payment however, I resent flash in the pan policies intended to divide and set public sector workers against each other. It’s an incredibly cynical way of doing business.

You deserve to be well supported in your work, financially, physically and emotionally - £500 doesn’t begin to cover it.

I'm public sector and I'm in no way against the payment. And, as I said, no one in my workplace is against it either.

As if the SG said, you know what, we want to divide and set public sector workers against each other. How will we do that? Let's pay the NHS, social workers and care home workers a £500 bonus to say thank you.

Exactly Jellycatspyjamas. Thinking the policy is woeful, political nonsense a) engineered only to make Boris & co look bad and b) just further deepening the horrible good worker/bad worker dichotomy they've had going throughout doesn't mean that people resent NHS staff. If the same amount was being spent on tailored care and support, or they were announcing long term increases in staffing (for example) it would be a very different matter.

And plenty of private sector companies don't do bonuses, IME I'd say more don't than do. And when they do it is almost always performance based, on both the company performance and individual performance. Not an across the board flat sum. This isn't really comparable.

@StatisticallyChallenged

Exactly Jellycatspyjamas. Thinking the policy is woeful, political nonsense a) engineered only to make Boris & co look bad and b) just further deepening the horrible good worker/bad worker dichotomy they've had going throughout doesn't mean that people resent NHS staff. If the same amount was being spent on tailored care and support, or they were announcing long term increases in staffing (for example) it would be a very different matter.

And plenty of private sector companies don't do bonuses, IME I'd say more don't than do. And when they do it is almost always performance based, on both the company performance and individual performance. Not an across the board flat sum. This isn't really comparable.

Spot on.

Not against it. There may be a minority that dont "deserve" it as they were not severely affected but as long as those that do deserve it get it that is more important and I can live with that.

As if the SG said, you know what, we want to divide and set public sector workers against each other. How will we do that? Let's pay the NHS, social workers and care home workers a £500 bonus to say thank you.

Let’s issue a press release highlighting a reward payment to our NHS and social care hero’s. Let’s not mention anywhere in the press release that it includes social workers (don’t want people thinking the baby snatchers are getting rewarded). Let’s also not say anything about education - who constantly feel like the “poor man” of Covid and whose jobs have been nigh on impossible in this crisis.

And let’s do this against a backdrop of people losing their businesses, livelihoods and homes. Oh and as a bonus, let’s make a plea to big bad Boris to leave the bonus alone - entirely missing the point that Scottish taxes are paid to the Scottish government.

Not at all divisive. Not at all.

Prison staff , teachers , police officers all paid by government many frontline as such , why do they not get a bonus ?
And asking for it to be tax free ? Like that can happen

My dh works in private sector they usually get an annual bonus , this year due to covid they did not , and he worked throughout but lucky to still have a job
I have worked in many private sector jobs only one did I get a bonus and it was very much performance related not a given.
There are not lots if private sector paying a bonus especially this year
And if NS wanted them to receive exactly £500 she could of paid plus tac for majority , at the end of the day a £100000 surgeon not getting the whole £500 isn't a huge deal
We appreciate nhs but I also appreciate poilce officers and teachers so if was being given should be for all
Also its a lot easier for scotland to pay nhs workers £500 than england as england has a much bigger population

@Brex5hit

The Government can't give shop workers bonuses as they don't pay them.What other public sector area would people like to give a bonus to? Home care staff , porters etc all worked through it. Dental staff deserve it too. The PPE dental nurses are required to wear is not comfortable! I've not seen any evidence of this being divisive in the real world. I'm happy for my family and friends who work in care homes and the NHS to receive it.

I’m sorry no offence to any dental nurses! It’s nothing personal.

The dentist service is shocking! I have not seen a dentist since the start of lockdown. I called my dentist as 2 friends told me they had been seen at their branch. My dentist said they were working through a back log and to call in the NY.

I’m not surprised dentists have a back log!

Weren’t dentists not allowed to work during the first lockdown though? I swear it was emergency appointments only, routed through a local hub. As far as I know they were only allowed to start up once guidance was issued in summer?

@sofiaaaaaa your right. I mean I rang my dentist recently and they are only dealing with emergencies. I wouldn’t mind if I could book an appointment now for next year. But they are not even doing that.

@PaddyFOdder - so you are okay with everybody in the NHS getting a bonus, including all the managers and office staff who see a patient as they come in from the car park?

It isn't about the payment it is about Sturgeon trying to blame Westminster for it being taxed.

But the narrative is that dentists were given permission to recommence all nhs treatments at the beginning of November. The fact that so many people are unable to access these for either genuine or not genuine reasons is clearly not their problem they would say. In fact, I am sure they would say that either they don't know about any problems or that they simply don't exist.

Dentistry is definitely heading down the road of other services and will be private only with vouchers issued for children's treatment.

Only is not really just about cosmetics or retaining teeth, it's about early intervention in cancer detection and the like too.

So yet another reason for the death toll for lockdown related rather than covid related excess deaths.

As a public sector worker I have never had a bonus and wouldn't expect one in all honesty. I worked in the school hub all through lockdown and still working all day every day in a high school. And no I'm not a teacher I support the pupils, so not well paid at all for the job I do and as for teachers, they were hardly seen in the hub where I was it was run by support staff on a daily basis, the majority of teachers were all at home refusing to come in!! So remember there are more than just teachers work in a school!!!!

I think it's a vote grabbing trick and if it had to happen, it should only be given to lower wage earners. The higher rate tax band threshold would have been a good place for it to stop. At least then people on lower incomes would be getting it without a consultant on £100k+ also having a windfall to but Christmas port.

@cdtaylornats

Yes.

It’s not danger money. It’s a recognition of service.

Clinicians like me would be fucked without decent admin and managerial support. I’m kind of tired of NHS managers being referred to derisively to be honest. I’ve worked under some phenomenal managers who have made a real positive difference to clinical care.

@rookiemere

Maybe have a look into consultant pay.

It’s a rare consultant that earns 100k, despite why you read in the Mail.

Well, today of all days I am happy to be a part of the UK, thats for sure

@LargeProsecco I agree with you. I work in ICU and this year has been the most challenging time of my professional career. I remember going into red ICU that first Monday of lockdown and being terrified of catching the virus and passing it on to my family. I ran off adrenaline for a few months during the first wave and I'm utterly, utterly exhausted now.
Having said that I got paid every month and have never had to worry about losing my job unlike thousands of others. Much as I could use the money I'm thinking of donating it to a charity. I feel privileged to have a secure job I enjoy and I just don't feel comfortable accepting this 'bonus'

Bejazzled If you're referring to the vaccine, the UK Gov is lying when they are saying that the vaccine was able to be distributed so quickly due to Brexit. It's been developed in a partnership between a German and American company. And any country could have rushed it through but others have chosen not to. Embarrassing, divisive tosh from the UK Gov - taking national credit for an international breakthrough.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-vaccine-matt-hancock-mhra-brexit-b1765005.html