NHS change of contract

bathwiggle

I might be worrying for no reason, but thought i'd ask anyway.

Currently i work in the NHS monday to friday, and have saturday and sunday off. This suits me and i'm happy working there for the most part.

However the other day it was announced that we are meant to be moving on to 7 day working. Can they insist that i change from monday to friday, and for the days off do they have to have 2 days together or can they be random days?

My contract doesn't specify the days i work, or say about a change of working hours.

If anyone can help i'd appreciate it, i've been there 2 years and we are struggling to staff the lab as it is.

Many thanks

DomRavioli

As your contract doesn't specify your working days, then you have no right to continue to do so; the days off can be random, even half days sometimes, and you can ASK for them together but they don't have to give them to you; it is what suits them as a business, not you as a worker.

I worked in the NHS for 10 years, and had 7 day working, you get used to it pretty quickly, and if you get on with your boss, and don't make their lives a misery, they are usually good with working days; if you go in with the attitude you have on your OP then if I were your manager I'd give you the worst shifts, they can insist, demand and legally rota you in for whatever hours they have available, as your contract isn't set days or times.

Be nice, accept the change or move on. There are hundreds if not thousands who would love an NHS job and would do your role in a heartbeat.

ohreally

Have a word with unite rep, there are consultative agreements therefore should be in a position to advise state of play - this will flush out if an individual manager is attempting to implement change under the radar.

bathwiggle

DomRavioli wrote: »

As your contract doesn't specify your working days, then you have no right to continue to do so; the days off can be random, even half days sometimes, and you can ASK for them together but they don't have to give them to you; it is what suits them as a business, not you as a worker.

I worked in the NHS for 10 years, and had 7 day working, you get used to it pretty quickly, and if you get on with your boss, and don't make their lives a misery, they are usually good with working days; if you go in with the attitude you have on your OP then if I were your manager I'd give you the worst shifts, they can insist, demand and legally rota you in for whatever hours they have available, as your contract isn't set days or times.

Be nice, accept the change or move on. There are hundreds if not thousands who would love an NHS job and would do your role in a heartbeat.

Thank you for letting me know contract wise, not so much for judging me.

Before judging me as difficult; i spend half my life working an extra 1.5 hours a days unpaid due to short staffing and the logic being it's for the patients.

Given how stressed the whole department is before they decided we need less people per a day to achieve 7 day working... leaving is tempting and actually health wise may be what i have to do.

ohreally wrote: »

Have a word with unite rep, there are consultative agreements therefore should be in a position to advise state of play - this will flush out if an individual manager is attempting to implement change under the radar.

Will do. Thank you

DomRavioli

bathwiggle wrote: »

Thank you for letting me know contract wise, not so much for judging me.

Before judging me as difficult; i spend half my life working an extra 1.5 hours a days unpaid due to short staffing and the logic being it's for the patients.

Given how stressed the whole department is before they decided we need less people per a day to achieve 7 day working... leaving is tempting and actually health wise may be what i have to do.

Apologies if you felt you were being "judged", you seem to think that the NHS runs on time (oh dear no..they have their own time - its usually around 2 hours late!) and that short staffing, unpaid work, unpaid breaks, and unpaid overtime are just special to you - go talk to a nurse who holds in her pee because there's someone vomiting blood and cannot be left, a HCA who works later because there's too much to do and not enough staff, or a doctor who hasn't eaten for hours because there have been 4 red calls.

I spent 10 years working 70 hour plus weeks, knee deep in lord knows what, dreaming of a shiny lab with clinical control procedures (they don't apply when you've got 14 patients, 5 staff and only one pair of hands!); working 14 hour shifts 7 days a week sometimes. I have done extra days, I worked 49 days in a row without a day off in 2011, and when someone is in need of assistance, your clocking off time is irrelevant because the cover staff or the day shift are late, you can't just leave them - I would have killed for regular hours or at least not nights, days, splits and twilights, all thrown into the same week.

I became a senior within 5 years, and a positive attitude will get you really far in the NHS, becoming defensive when you're told what you don't want to hear will not however. It was meant to be constructive - it obviously wasn't taken that way.

There are thousands of professionals who will leap at the chance of an NHS post within their chosen field, who will work 7 days a week; me being one of them - I'd happily relocate to get your job, even on 7 day working.

I do hope you get yourself sorted with it, if you feel leaving is the best way forward then that is what you have to do, but you need to find out the actual details of this - is it that everyone else has 7 day working in their contract and you don't, or that it is required by the trust, or something else?

Again apologies, but to survive in the NHS you need pretty thick skin.