In a consultation / at risk

[Pamalarrr]

I work in the NHS and have been told my role is in scope for a consultation due to a restructure. I’m in a non-clinical role and a Band 7.

Has anybody been put at risk before in the NHS? I’ve been there a long time and just wondering if the likelihood is going to be redeployment rather than redundancy.

I’m so worried re not having a job. Unfortunately our consultation will be following a corporate services review and my concern is that all of the band 6 and 7 roles are going to have been mopped up by these staff.

Seems unbelievable to me when they are reporting hundreds of vacancies in the NHS and bringing in overseas workers. I'm sorry to hear that, very worrying for you.

OP seems to be in niche role hence limited opportunities

yes yes thousands of vacancies but unless your band and your area no use to OP

Our NHS organisation has just been through this and you have all my sympathy - it's shit.

In my experience, band 6 & 7 were the bands with the most number of roles available and everyone I know on one if those bands ended up in a job. Our organisation was very heavy on 8as so that was the band that was vastly reduced. I guess it depends what the numbers are like at each band. As part of the consultation process, we were given data on how many posts there were on each band to start with and how many there would be in the new structure.

A lot of our 8as got voluntary redundancy. Very few people were made compulsorily redundant in the end.

People who were actually placed at risk (not in a competitive pool) were dealt with last so it can be heard to sit and watch other people being placed. Keep pushing for updates, make sure they are being clear about what suitable alternative employment looks like. We were offered trial periods in roles but in reality, most people were just put somewhere that vaguely matched.

My best advice
Make sure HR are being very clear about the process and timelines and push for information
Prep for interview and be big on inequalities - our org agreed to releasing interview questions 7 days prior to interview - you can ask for this as a reasonable adjustment if applicable
Hang in there - ours was a long and stressful process, it was a year from when the restructure was announced to when most people had confirmation of a post.

FWIW, we are about 4 months post restructure and there are still vacancies as so many people left for some other job security.

Good luck

Those are for clinical roles.
The OP said she is non clinical

Could I ask. If you’re say a Band 7 and there are more if you than jobs, do you have to wait for the Band 6s to be placed before you have a chance at one of those?

They did ours by band starting at the top. Nobody went outside their band in the first round. So if you were in a competitive pool, you were only in it with other people of the same band. Higher bands were not eligible for lower bands until after the first round if that makes sense.

So yes, a band 7 couldn’t be put in a band 6 until after the first round of band 6 posts were dealt with.

If it helps, we have about 350 employees and nobody was down graded. They did allow quite a lot of VR though which is apparently unusual.

Any one who wasn’t placed at their own band in the first round was then able to apply for any vacancy. Then once that was done, the last people were placed in suitable alternative posts.

Thank you - that is helpful to know. The problem I have is I am not starting on a level playing field with other Band 7s - I will be raising this with my Union member. The added problem is our Trust has just done a huge corporate services review where all non-clinical roles were reviewed. As we are going second, any vacancies have been ringfenced for those in the corporate review. My concern is that given I am not starting on a level playing field. the only "vacancies" that will be left are Band 5 ones.