NHS vote paves the way for regional pay among Plymouth health workers
PLANS to change the pay, terms and conditions of city NHS workers have been given the go-ahead.
The NHS Staff Council yesterday agreed to changes to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, which covers staff all over the country on 'Agenda for Change' contracts.
The changes will see local employers being given more flexibility over staff pay progression. There will also be an adjustment to the way sick pay is calculated, including removing unsocial hours enhancements when staff are absent due to sickness.
Prior to the agreement, 19 NHS Trusts including Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, had moved towards breaking away from Agenda for Change and introducing local terms and conditions through the controversial South West Pay Consortium.
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Chris Bown, chairman of the consortium, said last night: "The consortium has always welcomed the proposals and are delighted that agreement has now been reached. We are encouraged by the commitment shown in ensuring national NHS terms and conditions are sustainable and fair."
4 Comments
by none911
Thursday, February 28 2013, 9:27AM
“Sorry to argue the toss plgrimpete but NHS medical staff do indeed get overtime and time off in lieu for not working a bank holiday due to sickness if their duty roster had got them scheduled for that shift - I agree shift workers should receive enhanced rates for unsocial hours and bank holiday working but I do object to them being paid those enhanced rates for not turing up. I also agree that shift work is unhealthy, I too have done it for years in both the public and private sector. However, I do still believe the sick pay regime in the public sector is flawed, badly managed and open to sigificant abuse.”
by pilgrimpete
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 5:27PM
“none911 - I have been a civil servant for 40 years, my role has been a full rota of shift work, days, nights, weekends, public holidays, if I went sick on a public holiday I did not get the double time payment, no extra payment whatsoever, so where you got that imformation from I do not know. The article does state "including removing unsocial hours enhancements when staff are absent due to sickness". I still stick to the fact that shift work is not health friendly, and therefore, shiftworkers are more prone to illness, yet because of this, doctors, nurses and other public service workers who care for us in our time of need will be punished for a career which by its very nature involves shiftwork
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by none911
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 1:30PM
“Not sure what your point is pilgrimpete. The enhancement for working unsocial hours is not being taken away, what is being addressed here is still paying staff the enhancement even though they dont actually turn up to do the work (for whatever reason). I'm not a huge fan of the regional pay proposals but it is high time something was done about the excessive sickness benefits paid to all taxpayer funded institutions, whether NHS, civil servants, teachers, etc. I cant think of any private business which would still pay, as an example, double time plus a day off in lieu for working a bank holiday, if the individual phoned in sick & didnt even go in”
by pilgrimpete
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 7:41AM
“Watch the staff suffer, not he bosses, its a fact that people who work unsocial hours are more likely to get ill, this is on top of caring for people who may have an illness that is easily passed on, they are in a no win situation. the staff will not benefit and nor will the public and patients”