Being sent to work with wrong/no contract (NHS student)

roz84

I haven't been able to speak to any professional body as yet, I've contacted unison etc but no reply. 

General_Grant

I would suggest that it may take some time for a paper contract to reach you but if they confirm that you will be paid in line with AfC rates you can decide whether that is acceptable to you.  If it is, you can start work without getting it in writing immediately - the employment contract would exist.

theoretica

When you start a new job they have 2 months to send you particulars of employment - it isn't at all unusual to start work before the contract comes.

Manxman_in_exile

roz84 said:

The "they" is the management at the trust where I work. If I'm going back to the wards I just want to be correctly paid for doing so, and currently I won't be.

You don't "work" at any trust.  The local management of the trust you have clinical placements at won't be in a position either to decide or to instruct you to work on the wards.  Because of issues like liability and the payment of appropriate salaries etc, any such decision will almost certainly be made at a national level - and I'm sure appropriate remuneration using AfC as a framework will be agreed beforehand.

Bearing in mind over 400,000 people have offered their services to the NHS as volunteers, I don't think I'd be too concerned about getting paid if you are "conscripted" - unless it prevents you doing a paid job that puts your food on the table.

EDIT:  That last bit probably sounds a bit harsh - sorry.  What I mean is: you've decided you want a career in the NHS and the current crisis probably offers a real-life experience (or opportunity) you would not otherwise have.  I have no doubt whatsoever that if you and your fellow students end up being "conscripted" onto the wards, then you will be remunerated appropriately.  But if not then just decide whether you want to do the work or not - nobody can make you.   But in the current circumstances, if your first thought is "are we getting paid", you may not find the NHS a particulalrly fulfilling and satisfactory place to have a career...

Manxman_in_exile

roz84 said:

I haven't been able to speak to any professional body as yet, I've contacted unison etc but no reply. 

I'd be speaking to my university tutor.

gettingtheresometime

Manxman_in_exile said:

EDIT:  That last bit probably sounds a bit harsh - sorry.  What I mean is: you've decided you want a career in the NHS and the current crisis probably offers a real-life experience (or opportunity) you would not otherwise have.  I have no doubt whatsoever that if you and your fellow students end up being "conscripted" onto the wards, then you will be remunerated appropriately.  But if not then just decide whether you want to do the work or not - nobody can make you.   But in the current circumstances, if your first thought is "are we getting paid", you may not find the NHS a particulalrly fulfilling and satisfactory place to have a career...

The other thing to bear in mind is that the experience they get could  probably never be reproduced - unless they go into a war/disaster zone to work - as well as learning things about themselves that they might never learn.