I would love to work in a hospital...

[BoredMouse]

...but I can't find a job that would at least pay 26k. I would nurse or work in admin, or anything really. I just really like the atmosphere. Any suggestions?? I'm 53

@BoredMouse sorry OP just saw you said you would train

admin wise - not much at band 5 other than management - you might find the odd senior PA/research admin/senior MDT co-ordinator role, but probably not that easy to land without some previous NHS experience. You might be able to go straight into a band 4 MDT co-ordinator type role, if you're very organised and good with IT. wouldn't be hands on at all though.

I work in hospitals and have never been employed by the NHS. I manage the non-clinical, facilities management side of things- cleaning, portering, patient meals etc. The salary you want would be achievable quite quickly in a private company. I am very much involved in the hospitals where I work. Happy to answer any questions if you have them.

I was nursing nhs 22k left and walked into nursing job 29 k within 1 year of qualifying it's possible ( private )

@duchessminnie maybe I should be thinking Private rather than NHS!! Ill have a look online tonight!

Yes but when I say private I mean that I work on NHS contracts for a private company, not in private healthcare if that makes sense. We tend to pay slightly better for admin/management roles but obviously you don't have an NHS pension. I do love working in hospitals though so I get what you mean- there is a buzz and a real satisfaction when you make someone's stay just a little bit more pleasant.

Are you Serious? You still need to register to work as a nurse in the private sector. There isn’t much difference in pay rates.
What are you offering?

Are you serious?
You want to work in a hosp but no idea what job.
Nursing and admin are not interchangeable!

Would you be willing to do.3 years training and secondment to train as a nurse? If you want to specialise in maternity you would have to do more training. A private healthcare company wouldn't put you through your training though.
Maybe apply to be a health care assistant in free time to see if you actually like it (and most training hosp will want students who.have experience)
It's not all 'helping people' it's messy and dirty and exhausting a lot of the time.
Sorry but you really don't sound like you know what being a nurse really entails.

Private sector will not train you to be a nurse.

And be wary of private companies that are contracted to do work in NHS hospitals. You may find that annual leave, pensions, education and training are not favourable.

How about a residential home, admin type

I manage a small charity based within a hospital. You could look for admin jobs with local hospital/health charities. Most hospitals also run volunteering programmes - would doing a bit of volunteering around another job be an option?

Very unrealistic...

I don't think OP is being unrealistic- I know plenty of people in Admin roles for the salary she's looking for. OP if you keep an eye on any hospitals you like they will often have open days where you can go along and apply for different roles. And no need to be wary of private companies- it's quite common now to hold 2 positions in both the NHS and a private company in a hospital and take advantage of bank hours on either side. Both the NHS and private sector have their advantages and disadvantages and you can mix the two easily if you have the right skills and temperament to work in the environment.

Good luck OP and I second the suggestion to volunteer so you can see what it's like.

To be honest OP I think you should wait until you can afford to retire and volunteer at a hospital.

The managers on 26K don't really have the time to appreciate the buzz. Too busy stuck in offices and meetings. You get it at the lower level as there are plenty of errands and people popping by the office. This was the part of my job I liked best actually.

What skills have you got to offer the NHS that would make them want to pay you a salary in excess of 26k?

Sorry, not the point of thread but it’s awful that wages haven’t gone up in 15 bloody years! Think about how much everything else has gone up!