NHS - Being asked to ‘act up’ to cover long term sickness - no pay?

[CauliflowerChocolat]

Our Band 7 manager has gone on long term sick so the Band 6 team members have been asked by the higher up manager to cover all of his work - both clinical and wider projects/responsibilities. We are not quite sure how it’s going to work yet and how we are going to fit all that into our working week but even if we could magic up the time, there’s been no mention of extra pay. WIBU to ask for an acting up payment?

Yanbu. Might also be worth contacting your union for advice.

You can ask, but based on experience they will divvy up the band 7 role between many people so that everyone gets a bit more responsibility/duties but no-one will get more pay.

They'll still be paying the band 7 whilst off sick so won't have the budget to pay anyone acting up.

Absolutely not.

This is appalling and another example of how they don’t give a shit about any of you.

They will use and abuse you until you go off sick too.

It is unreasonable and unrealistic to expect you to do your own role to any standard and add on that of a senior managers work load.

They need to pay someone to step up at B7 in the interim.

FFS, how do they have the audacity to even put this on you all.

Completely off-topic, but "acting up" surely means a child being naughty ?

Sounds like what my organisation would call a "stretch assignment" you work at a higher grade but don't get paid for it, but can use it as evidence when applying for jobs at that band. Can work out well.

Hmm, this is our worry.

I will definitely contact my union on Monday.

I have heard it used in the NHS for many years meaning temporarily working as a higher band to cover. I'm sure it must be used in other organisations too?

Things often have more than one meaning.

Which would be fine (perhaps?) if they were removing some of our own workload to carve out time for this. But this appears not to be the case.

Yes I am very worried about the stress just being passed further down the line to us. I have a lot going on at home at the moment and quite frankly have neither the time or the headspace to take on substantial additional work for free.

I would approach it from the angle of whether this can benefit you in the longer term. Would a period of taking on additional responsibilities be useful when applying for a band 7 post yourself further down the line? The answer is probably yes. Unless you are content at band 6, in which case there are no potential gains for you.

Ha yes, the old stretch assignment. Essentially a crap way to try and justify you doing more work for no extra gain.

It's a really common phrase for those 'acting up' into a higher level role. We have an 'acting up' policy where I work which sets out the ground rules for what happens and how payments are worked out etc

Truthfully, I am content at 6 for now due to other things in my life needing to take priority (elderly parents, young DC, the usual!). My plan was to wait until DC are at school in a couple of years and then look for band 7 roles.

I simply don't have the time, energy or headspace for this right now - although if there is no escaping it then at least I think it should be recognised with some acting up pay.

It may benefit you for future promotion BUT what about in the interim while you struggle?
what if you can’t keep up or can’t do a good job given the unreasonable circumstances? That could equally damage your prospects through no fault of your own.

I would seek union advice and look for another job.

There is no depths management won’t go to to screw the staff over in the NHS.

That's a really good point, I hadn't thought of that angle. Will definitely have to see what my union say tomorrow!

They should advertise an acting 7 post for one person, pay them accordingly and not divvy up the role for no pay, they won't increase pay for several 6. The 6s will be expected to do the 7 job, the 5s will then take on 6 responsibilities because the 6s will be too busy. One 6 may want to act up, the pay may be the same if they are higher on the scale but its good experience if they want to move up. Alternatively they ask another 7 to stand in or God forbid a nurse manager takes on the role.

In my experience they will have included 'act up in the absence of seniors' in your job description just so they can get away with it.

I'd check.

The other thing to consider would be the potential change in hours as many 7 are daytime hours only, no nights, no weekends, attending pointless meetings. This can all impact on travel, childcare and unsocial hours payments.

I'm a band 7 ward manager, it’s a full time job! If they want someone to act up, they should offer a secondment and pay accordingly and backfill the band 6 post.

All of you taking on different bits of the job is unlikely to work well and will they give you protected time from your current job to fulfill any additional tasks?

If anyone is interested in getting a band 7 it could be great experience but if you are trying to do it alongside all your other responsibilities without adequate support or time, it could be tea hard and not reflect positively on you.

I wouldn’t do it! Tbh I hate being a band 7 so would avoid it anyway🤣

When I worked in local government we had 2 principles off sick, 2 serious on mat leave and 2 juniors left running the show across 2 teams. All grant schemes continued to be administered and the local plan was written. We requested, and received, an honorarium to reflect the fact that we had covered 4 other roles for 5 months.

Might be worth asking for that if they won't offer one of you a formal acting up role.

If you ask do it for long enough they might decide there's no need for a band 7 in that team! Definitely speak to the union

Everyone need to refuse to act up so they have to fill the post with a bank b7. Happens all the time and always a sh~tshow. Worse when someone does the acting up well then doesn't get the job at the end of it.
NO NO NO

Agree, otherwise one will get the audits, another appraisals, another management meetings, you will all share oncall and complaints, sickness cover, bed management, a complete nightmare, what happens when one of you is on holiday, off sick, rostered on the ward, short staffed, asked to cover an even worse staffed ward.

Isn't acting up in the absence of the ward manager expected of a band 6? It was specifically asked at a band 6 interview I did. My team
Would take it in turns to cover our managers absence.

I think it also depends on how long the absence is for - a maternity leave versus a week or two.

It takes 3-6 months to advertise & recruit to a post so perhaps that's why (assuming it gets past vacancy management).