Hundreds of NHS nurses at a group of West Midlands hospital trusts have threatened to stop working extra shifts if employers go ahead with plans to reduce pay rates for bank work.
The Black Country Provider Collaborative, made up of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust and Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, recently announced changes to its pay rates for bank shifts.
“It’s glaringly unfair that a nurse who does an extra shift, who goes the extra mile, will now be paid less than their basic hourly rate for that shift”
Lindsay Meeks
Staff at the trusts would, under these proposals, only receive pay in line with the lowest point in their Agenda for Change banding on bank shifts.
As a result, this would mean staff currently on a higher pay point within their band would have their pay cut for bank shifts.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which is representing the nurses, said a band 5 nurse on a higher pay point could end up being £40 worse off for a 12.5-hour band shift compared to a regular shift.
The change is due to come into place in April in all of the affected trusts except Sandwell and West Birmingham, which has postponed it until September.
An RCN survey of more than 1,000 staff at the trusts said they would stop taking these extra shifts if the lower pay rates were imposed, possibly leading to short-staffed wards.
Staff, in the survey, described the proposals as “blind”, “disrespectful” and an “insult” to workers.
One anonymous nurse said: “I will not be willing to work any bank hours due to the cut.
“In my opinion, our pay does not reflect the work we do already so it definitely doesn’t with the cut.
“I feel many people feel this way and will not be willing to do as many bank shifts, meaning being short staffed and patient care being impacted by this.”
Some staff acknowledged the financial strain many NHS trusts are under, but said the proposed cuts would hit nurses hard.
“It is dismissive and disrespectful to people who have worked hard to gain a wealth of knowledge and experience over the years,” a nurse added to the survey.
“If we do a bank at the lower rate, we will still be expected to use this experience.”
Lindsay Meeks, RCN West Midlands regional director, has now written to the Black Country Provider Collaborative to demand it aborts the plans.
“It’s heartless for employers to short-change the goodwill and loyalty shown by their nursing staff whose extra shifts cover gaps in the rota and help keep services running and safe for patients,” Ms Meeks said.
“It’s glaringly unfair that a nurse who does an extra shift, who goes the extra mile, will now be paid less than their basic hourly rate for that shift.
“In no other line of work would this be normal or acceptable.
“If a nurse is paid at the upper point of their pay band on a regular shift, it’s because this is no less than they deserve. Their knowledge, skills and experience should be recognised in their pay for a bank shift, too.”
Ms Meeks continued that the move could even cost the trusts more, due to the need to hire agency workers to fill gaps in rotas not being filled by the organisations’ own bank system.
She described it as a “false economy”, adding: “That’s before you factor in the cost of damaging their relationship with their nursing staff, no fewer than 1,300 of whom spelt out their disapproval and sense of feeling utterly devalued in our survey.”
A joint statement on behalf of the collaborative, from Diane Wake, chief executive of Dudley Group and Sandwell and West Birmingham, and Joanne Chadwick-Bell, chief executive of Royal Wolverhampton and Walsall, said: “Recognising the invaluable contribution of our workforce, we are committed to ensuring consistency in pay.
“Collaboratively, we have reached an agreement to align bank rates across the Black Country Provider Collaborative, reinforcing our dedication to supporting our staff while maintaining financial sustainability.
“Significant financial challenges remain across the Black Country NHS system and we are working with teams across our services to identify areas where efficiencies can be realised and potential savings made without compromising patient safety which remains our priority.”
