No work

[sleepismyhobby]

I'm worried sick just now . I'm a nurse and work for a very well uk based nursing agency . I had a 3 month contract with nhs through agency which comes to an end next week. The charge nurse at nhs told me that they all got a email from Scottish government saying they're not allowed to use agency nurse unless desperate . The charge nurse said she still really needs me but hospital manager won't approve my shifts .
I've been looking for days on the agency app where you pick shifts up usually in nursing homes , they're are no shifts at all showing up . I'm so worried I don't know how I'm going to pay my bills or feed my family .
I have been listing like mad on eBay/vinted and I've sold a few things but on average under £5 items . My car is in the garage so god knows what the bill will be. I need a cat as I live rurally and bus service is utter crap

Can you join the bank at the trust? Any permeant posts available?

I'm unable to join local trust as I've done agency shifts they'd need to poach me roughly 10k!

This is happening across the public sector throughout the UK. Agency staff are very expensive comparatively and many employers are unable to continue funding them. Although I don't work in social services, I have several friends who do (in England) and despite being in the same position of a desperate shorfall in staff capacity, managers have been told there is no money to fund agency staff, which is all that has been keeping departments afloat for some years now. I don't know the position in nursing, but what has happened in social work is that many staff have left to go to agencies as soon as they are sufficiently qualified because they can earn way more than they can in "regular" employment, which has then fed the shortage of staff employed in departments; but then buying in from agencies has doubled the wage bill and that was unsustainable.

It depends what is in your contract with the agency (worth looking) but if you apply for a role that isn't one that you have worked in via the agency, or a role that is openly advertised for interview, it often doesn't count as "poaching". So maybe look at advertised roles - it doesn't solve the immedaite problem, but I suspect that it may not get any easier in the near future.

In contrast on the DWP site in my area, Sussex every other vacancy is NHS which I have no experience in. Can you go permanent instead?

Could you join nhs professionals as opposed to an agency?

Agency staff cost loads! It's good that they're going to stop wasting money.

You'll need to look into care home work or permanent NHS. Good luck, I'm sure you'll do great

She can’t join the NHS just like that if she’s worked agency side: agencies have non-poach clauses in their contracts with the NHS, so if a member of agency staff leaves to join the NHS, the NHS has to pay the agency £10k. For this reason, the NHS won’t hire agency nurses unless they’ve not worked in an agency for 6 months or more. Absolute bloody nightmare and one of the untalked about reasons why there’s a shortage of qualified nurses to hire.

😱 I am absolutely shocked. Thank you SO much for explaining. Had no idea.

Jesus. Im sorry OP :(

This is only relevant if she has worked agency shifts within the health board she was applying to. Most nurses I know who gave up NHS jobs to do agency full time wouldn't do shifts in the local area and stayed on the local bank. But this depends on how far you'd have to travel to get to another health board. I think this was always going to happen as the NHS is spending too much on agency staff.

Agreed. It's a horrible situation for the OP and it's easy to have sympathy for individuals. Unfortunately many individuals have gone down the agency work route to capitalise on significantly higher pay without considering security. The lack of security always came at a risk, but people thought it would never "land". It has. Not just in the NHS either.

It's a horrible situation and I do sympathise OP however I think the NHS does need to break the cycle of reliance on agency staff. Not only is it costing a fortune it is also inadvertently causing a staffing shortage in the NHS. The £10k clause thing explains an awful lot.

I only went down agency route for the flexibility of the work. I only do nights as I have no childcare at all. I've been doing agency work within my local trust . I was a nurse in a nursing home for nearly 13 years but the stress got to much . I'm in such a mess. Maybe I should go back to the nursing home at least it's regular work

What does this mean?

So I've done agency shifts in my loca nhs I'm unable to get a job with them without nhs having to pay 10k to poach me . The other trusts are to far from home . I live rurally so I'd need to travel to nearest city which is a fair distance away

Could you work in a nursing home for 6mths then join the hospital bank- thus avoiding the agency finders fee? Join the bank in a different trust?
Look outside your normal work- night carer/nurse in somones home for 1-2-1 care, night carer in group home/sheltered support, a different ward/area to the area you are currently in? Stacking shelves in a supermarket?

Join a different agency or find out which agency are 1st call at the hospital. Years ago I had a preferred hospital close to home, but found out that my agency was the 2nd one they'd call. I joined their preferred agency and got more work.

Unfortunately, its the risk of agency work and being self employed! You just never know when a hospital stops agency, stops the agency you are with or recruit to cover it themselves.

Sorry OP- cross post about any other trust being too far away to join. x

I think I'm going to have to look at nursing homes and then apply for nhs jobs in 6 months time , I really can't
Cope with the stress of the uncertainty of work or rather lack of work

I agree with a PP, could you go back to working in the nursing home for 6 months and then apply for bank? Would the NHS consider paying your poach clause to have you on board earlier? Realistically if you become perm staff they'll save that £10k easily soon enough.

I know it's save them money but can't see it. I've 3 agency shifts to go then no work I'll ask no harm in asking

OP, you need to check the agency T&C's
Some agencies will waive the fee if you have been employed on a temp perm basis in one place and they then want to employ you (not sure if your 3 Month contract would cover this)

Thanks I. Did not know this . I'll look into this. The charge nurse did offer me a post a few weeks ago , but she wasn't sure about the fee

Just a quick update I've got a permanent part time nightshift post in a nursing home . It's a lovely looking nursing home and the residents look very well cared for . I'm so grateful as still no shifts with the agency and I'm relieved to been able to find this new job . Just waiting on references and pvg to come back then i can start

Hey hope your getting on okay.
So I've been a Agency nurses for 10 years. Always no work for 8 weeks around May every two years. Don't stress as soon as children break up the shifts slowly pick up. The key is to save for this period. The NHS treat staff terrible it's so low pay they can't retain staff the minute people get sick winter. Agency work goes insane they will and never stop using Agency. When an average nurse gets paid more at aldi. It's only a matter of months before nurses trickle away again leave the profession. Stay calm I've been doing it ten years I always do really well x

Lizzy thanks for the reply . I'm waiting to start a nhs post it's 2 12 hour shifts a week. I am currently doing 1 shift a week with agency as it's still very quiet and very little work . Just grateful to get what I can