Pay Rise Cancelled for NHS staff

Old_Slaphead

twirlypinky wrote: »

My friend works in NHS finance and hasn't spent an Easter with her family in 3 years because year end ALWAYS falls on Easter and she's in work at the weekends. She does not get paid overtime because they won't pay it, but she stills goes in because she wants her job done properly.

You don't know everyone, you're guessing, and it's not really on.

Working in finance - that's one of the 'perks' of the job. It's hardly exceptional.

I go stocktaking in a cold, damp factory over Xmas as our yearend is December.

Thousands of us do unpaid overtime as par for the course!

ps presumably NHS have a flexible yearend as in 2008 Easter was 3 weeks earlier than 2009 (or maybe NHS has a 55 week year)

twirlypinky

Old_Slaphead wrote: »

Working in finance - that's one of the 'perks' of the job. It's hardly exceptional.

I go stocktaking in a cold, damp factory over Xmas as our yearend is December.

Thousands of us do unpaid overtime as par for the course!

ps presumably NHS have a flexible yearend as in 2008 Easter was 3 weeks earlier than 2009 (or maybe NHS has a 55 week year)

NHS Finance is grim for most of March and April, a lot of people are in all weekend. As soon as the books are closed for one financial year, all the budgets need to be set and on the system for the following year, and that's a very tough job when there is less money "in the pot" than in the previous year. Ward and office managers are having to make savings without reducing service - it's simply not possible.

I'm not trying to say that she is worse off than folk in the private sector, I'm saying that she's not better off, as other people are trying to say.

There are far too many people out there that have no idea what they're talking about and just say "NHS office staff" like all they do all day is sit around, chat, and fiddle with patients notes. This is not the case.

Sir_Humphrey

twirlypinky wrote: »

My friend works in NHS finance and hasn't spent an Easter with her family in 3 years because year end ALWAYS falls on Easter and she's in work at the weekends. She does not get paid overtime because they won't pay it, but she stills goes in because she wants her job done properly.

You don't know everyone, you're guessing, and it's not really on.

Some of the fools on this board wouldn't be happy until Doctors are paid £10k a year and forced to call patients 'my lord'. Ignoring the fact that such an economy would see them on 1k a year or unemployed. They are not worth getting angry over - just take the mick like I do!

lostinrates

twirlypinky wrote: »

NHS Finance is grim for most of March and April, a lot of people are in all weekend. As soon as the books are closed for one financial year, all the budgets need to be set and on the system for the following year, and that's a very tough job when there is less money "in the pot" than in the previous year. Ward and office managers are having to make savings without reducing service - it's simply not possible.

I'm not trying to say that she is worse off than folk in the private sector, I'm saying that she's not better off, as other people are trying to say.

There are far too many people out there that have no idea what they're talking about and just say "NHS office staff" like all they do all day is sit around, chat, and fiddle with patients notes. This is not the case.

In fact I think thesecond post you quoted was arguing the same side as you, but with les eloquence. ;). I was debating with him because he seemed to be saying that people in private sector did not work irregular hours or unpaid overtime if they are office staff.

It is my beleif that there are people in both sectors who are good and bad workers and this tit for tat over who works harder doesn't get to the crux of the problem of whether the model of the different sectors is both fair and appropriate. My father worked long hard hours in public sector, from where he was hedhunted and he now works longer hours for better remuneration Both roles included a large degree of responsibilty. Which is better or fairer? I don't know, and I suspect that it would depend on the individual which job was more desirable to them.

Old_Slaphead

twirlypinky wrote: »

........when there is less money "in the pot" than in the previous year. Ward and office managers are having to make savings without reducing service - it's simply not possible.

I'm sure you're right but there's no denying that the NHS as a whole has had money 'firehosed' at it for the last 5 years. The fact that there's not been a comparable improvement in service is due to management ineptitude and (apparently) massive waste elsewhere in the system.

FWIW - on a slightly different subject - my OH is desperately trying to spend her LG budget on something/anything before end March so she doesn't lose it in 2009. Crazy or what !!!

twirlypinky

lostinrates wrote: »

In fact I think thesecond post you quoted was arguing the same side as you, but with les eloquence. ;). I was debating with him because he seemed to be saying that people in private sector did not work irregular hours or unpaid overtime if they are office staff.

It is my beleif that there are people in both sectors who are good and bad workers and this tit for tat over who works harder doesn't get to the crux of the problem of whether the model of the different sectors is both fair and appropriate. My father worked long hard hours in public sector, from where he was hedhunted and he now works longer hours for better remuneration Both roles included a large degree of responsibilty. Which is better or fairer? I don't know, and I suspect that it would depend on the individual which job was more desirable to them.

Whoops, sorry. I get so fed up with people just assume all the time, when they don't really know. It's like reading the daily mail in here sometimes.

twirlypinky

Old_Slaphead wrote: »

I'm sure you're right but there's no denying that the NHS as a whole has had money 'firehosed' at it for the last 5 years. The fact that there's not been a comparable improvement in service is due to management ineptitude and (apparently) massive waste elsewhere in the system.

Just because the NHS has cost lots more money in the last 5 years, it doesn't mean it's a waste.

There has been an improvement to service, amazingly so. They are doing things in hospitals now they could never have afforded before. Laperospic (sp sorry) surgery is far more common now, investement in training has had to be made (imagine peeling an orange in a shoe box wearing a pair of mittens and you'll get close) which has cost a great deal - but patients recover far quicker and go hom sooner (so in the long term a cost saving). Many new hospitals and buildings have been built, a state of the art cancer centre in my local town, that will treat patients from all over the UK.
The cost of drugs has gone up over the last 5 years, and they're using more advanced drugs, every single year. NICE agree that they can be used and the hospitals have to supply them.

I've chosen to mention drugs, minor surgery alternatives and new buildings just as small examples of where the money has gone, yet I could go on for some time.

One thing worth remembering is that the value of property has gone down everywhere, so all those new buildings built over the last couple of years are already worth far less than they cost to build in the first place. This is putting a huge hole in the accounts, yet there is no further funding coming from anywhere else - trusts still have to break even.

Please stop speculating and actually look into what you're talking about. The cost of healthcare has gone up sharply over the last decade due to all the advnacements in treatments - this is good for patients, but bad for the bottom line.

lostinrates

twirlypinky wrote: »

Whoops, sorry. I get so fed up with people just assume all the time, when they don't really know. It's like reading the daily mail in here sometimes.

Heehee, no need to apologise.

I feel the same. I was not disputing the public sector includes people who work hard and in cases, without overtime, but this is not acknowledged, because part of my post is about the private sectors similar 'plight' it seems to be considered inflammatory by the pro public spenders in the discustion, where as, the fact I've accepted that public sector workers might work hard nd take skills to private sector I'm persona non grata with the other side of the argument too!:p

donaldtramp

Sirhumphrey,

He's just a like a load of saddoes who populate the internet. 'Oh dear, everyone is against me, everyone shirks except for me, I am the only worthy one.' Get a life!

Lets see what happens in the budget(unfortunately not a lot because Gordon Brown has given away all our cash) or after the next election eh?
I think you'll find there are going to have to be some huge changes.
We'll see how many "saddoes" there are. Do you not read the papers or watch the news? I've got a funny feeling there are millions of people like me who want and need the public sector cuts.
I've got a life;) and I don't have to feed from the state to support myself.
I have never said everyone is against me, it's just some people have unfairly gained far more than others under Comrade Browns leadership(if you can attribute the wordc leadership to Brown)

twirlypinky

donaldtramp wrote: »

Sirhumphrey,

Lets see what happens in the budget(unfortunately not a lot because Gordon Brown has given away all our cash) or after the next election eh?
I think you'll find there are going to have to be some huge changes.
We'll see how many "saddoes" there are. Do you not read the papers or watch the news? I've got a funny feeling there are millions of people like me who want and need the public sector cuts.
I've got a life;) and I don't have to feed from the state to support myself.
I have never said everyone is against me, it's just some people have unfairly gained far more than others under Comrade Browns leadership(if you can attribute the wordc leadership to Brown)

Well I hope it's you rather than me then that needs treatment in an under funded, under-staffed NHS hospital struggling to meet it's targets.