Travel Expenses

AskAsk

oh_really said:

AskAsk said:

If you work from home and there is no mileage allowance because you haven't travelled, then I can't see why you think this is unfair? 

However they are travelling.

AskAsk said:

I assume you make a profit from the travel expense as they are generous.  But that is not the point of travel expense allowance.

The mileage allowance is an approved rate set independantely by the AA...

"Each year the Automobile Association Trust (AA) produces illustrative guides of motoring costs. These set out the elements of costs involved in running a car for a typical car owner using his or her vehicle for normal “domestic” purposes e.g. travel to and from work, shopping trips and holidays. The NHS Staff Council has used this as the source of its estimates of the costs of business mileage."

From the terms of service..."Employees who use their vehicles to make journeys in the performance of their duties e.g. to provide care in the patient’s home, will be reimbursed their motoring costs".

the OP states she is not travelling as she will be working in her home town only and so can not achieve the 10 miles daily commute that she used to do, and so would not be eligible to claim mileage allowance.  i am guessing that to claim the travel allowance, you have to travel at least 10 miles from base to qualify.

AskAsk

unforeseen said:

More to the point why were you claiming for your daily travel to your base? That is standard commuting. You can claim from there to your patients but not commuting. 

i think this is simply an example of inefficency in the system.  the OP was based 5 miles from home but her patients are actually around her home town.  so technically speaking she probably never actually travelled to her base/office and claimed the mileage without having actually travelled the distance, or only occasionally calling into the office.

dinglebert

AskAsk said:

unforeseen said:

More to the point why were you claiming for your daily travel to your base? That is standard commuting. You can claim from there to your patients but not commuting. 

i think this is simply an example of inefficency in the system.  the OP was based 5 miles from home but her patients are actually around her home town.  so technically speaking she probably never actually travelled to her base/office and claimed the mileage without having actually travelled the distance, or only occasionally calling into the office.

I would be surprised  Depending on the type of nursing she may have medication or supplies to collect from the office. At the very minimum she has notes to keep and they should not be kept at home unless there is a very good reason to do so.  If working around her own area and not leaving from base then the home to base return miles have to be complete before being allowed to claim the mileage.

Personally I always worked well away from my home.  Didn't want to see my patients when I wasn't working with them!

Manxman_in_exile

Cheesecake21 - I'm a retired NHS manager.

Personally, I would not rely just on what your manager tells you (although it may be correct).  You need to ask your HR dept and also your payroll provider what your eligibility currently is for claiming travel expenses*.  (Asking payroll may or may not be straightforward depending on whether it is - most probably - outsourced.  Even then you must have some sort of contact with whom to raise payroll queries.  Ask them).

As you are a nurse in the NHS ask your RCN or Unison rep for advice as applicable.

*Surely your trust has an intranet where all this is explained, particularly as to how travel claims have been affected by Covid?

unforeseen

I would think they would still be able to claim home to patient, albeit only one or 2 miles.
It all depends how the day was arranged. If it was base - patient - base each time, a very inefficient work planning method, then op would be losing 10 miles per patient. 
If it was base - patient - patient....... - base, which is the way I would expect it to be done, maybe split into AM & PM sessions then she's only lost 20 miles. 

However the fact still stands that change of base causes a change of claimable mileage. 

AskAsk

dinglebert said:

AskAsk said:

unforeseen said:

More to the point why were you claiming for your daily travel to your base? That is standard commuting. You can claim from there to your patients but not commuting. 

i think this is simply an example of inefficency in the system.  the OP was based 5 miles from home but her patients are actually around her home town.  so technically speaking she probably never actually travelled to her base/office and claimed the mileage without having actually travelled the distance, or only occasionally calling into the office.

I would be surprised  Depending on the type of nursing she may have medication or supplies to collect from the office. At the very minimum she has notes to keep and they should not be kept at home unless there is a very good reason to do so.  If working around her own area and not leaving from base then the home to base return miles have to be complete before being allowed to claim the mileage.

Personally I always worked well away from my home.  Didn't want to see my patients when I wasn't working with them!

the OP is a district nurse, and from my experience of district nurses, they administer medication to patients at home, but it is the medication that the patients already have at home so there is no need to bring medication with them.  my dad gets visits from disctrict nurses and they don't always go to the office as far as i am aware, and all the medication are ordered for delivery from the local chemist.

oh_really

AskAsk said:

the OP states she is not travelling as she will be working in her home town only and so can not achieve the 10 miles daily commute that she used to do, and so would not be eligible to claim mileage allowance.  i am guessing that to claim the travel allowance, you have to travel at least 10 miles from base to qualify.

Cheesecake21 said: 

I am going to be doing visits in my own town
Cheesecake

In case you missed it.
Op, do you run a lease vehicle?

Manxman_in_exile

oh_really said:

AskAsk said:

the OP states she is not travelling as she will be working in her home town only and so can not achieve the 10 miles daily commute that she used to do, and so would not be eligible to claim mileage allowance.  i am guessing that to claim the travel allowance, you have to travel at least 10 miles from base to qualify.

Cheesecake21 said: 

I am going to be doing visits in my own town
Cheesecake

In case you missed it.
Op, do you run a lease vehicle?

For the OP's benefit, do you mean is their vehicle leased via their NHS employer or do you mean is their private vehicle leased from a third party?  (I assume it isn't a NHS lease car otherwise they wouldn't be claiming travel expenses - would they?  Is it relevant if it's a private lease?).

oh_really

Manxman_in_exile said:

For the OP's benefit, do you mean is their vehicle leased via their NHS employer or do you mean is their private vehicle leased from a third party?  (I assume it isn't a NHS lease car otherwise they wouldn't be claiming travel expenses - would they?  Is it relevant if it's a private lease?).

Some of our post holders are contractually required to take a lease car due to nature of role, they get mileage allowance.

Manxman_in_exile

So you mean a lease car the employee has arranged themselves, not one provided by their employing trust or otherwise by the NHS?  (Sorry - I was never eligible for a NHS lease car and have never been familiar with the financial arrangements.  I've always assumed employees with one had to make some sort of financial contribution in respect of their private mileage and never needed to claim for work mileage).