Feeling trapped in NHS role and unsure what to do next!

Marcon

Klippety said:

bobblebob said:

I work in the NHS. There are many issues as an employee as you have stated some of them, but its great to progress your career

We have staff on Band 3 who have progressed to Band 5, 6 and beyond within a short period of time. Lots of transferable skills and always lots of jobs out there on internal notice boards

There are plenty of jobs in the NHS, but to jump from my current Band 4 to a Band 5 they expect an awful lot for the extra £800 a year in my trust.

There's certainly no such thing as a free lunch given what they expect for the miniscule pay rise. 

But would you enjoy the job more? Would it enhance your future career prospects if you had a Band 5 job?

theoretica

If part of the problem is the boredom from being in the same job for 9 years, maybe looking at other roles in the NHS would be a refreshing change.

LightFlare

My partner left the NHS 4years ago after 25+ years service.

Her new job is just as stressful and still comes with issues (don’t most) - but she needed a change. 

She doesn’t regret the decision

LightFlare

Klippety said:

bobblebob said:

I work in the NHS. There are many issues as an employee as you have stated some of them, but its great to progress your career

We have staff on Band 3 who have progressed to Band 5, 6 and beyond within a short period of time. Lots of transferable skills and always lots of jobs out there on internal notice boards

There are plenty of jobs in the NHS, but to jump from my current Band 4 to a Band 5 they expect an awful lot for the extra £800 a year in my trust.

There's certainly no such thing as a free lunch given what they expect for the miniscule pay rise. 

I’m pretty confident the difference between top 4 and top 5 is >£800

edit - just checked, it’s £3200 currently

You have to look at the potential not just the immediate gains

Andy_L

Klippety said:

bobblebob said:

I work in the NHS. There are many issues as an employee as you have stated some of them, but its great to progress your career

We have staff on Band 3 who have progressed to Band 5, 6 and beyond within a short period of time. Lots of transferable skills and always lots of jobs out there on internal notice boards

There are plenty of jobs in the NHS, but to jump from my current Band 4 to a Band 5 they expect an awful lot for the extra £800 a year in my trust.

There's certainly no such thing as a free lunch given what they expect for the miniscule pay rise. 

Might only be £800 straight away but then you've got pay progression of just over £6k more over the next 4 years rather than being stuck at the top of the B4 scale.

Klippety

LightFlare said:

My partner left the NHS 4years ago after 25+ years service.

Her new job is just as stressful and still comes with issues (don’t most) - but she needed a change. 

She doesn’t regret the decision

It's good to hear that it has worked out for her. What's she doing now? 

Klippety

Marcon said:

Klippety said:

bobblebob said:

I work in the NHS. There are many issues as an employee as you have stated some of them, but its great to progress your career

We have staff on Band 3 who have progressed to Band 5, 6 and beyond within a short period of time. Lots of transferable skills and always lots of jobs out there on internal notice boards

There are plenty of jobs in the NHS, but to jump from my current Band 4 to a Band 5 they expect an awful lot for the extra £800 a year in my trust.

There's certainly no such thing as a free lunch given what they expect for the miniscule pay rise. 

But would you enjoy the job more? Would it enhance your future career prospects if you had a Band 5 job?

Absolutely not to both questions. 

bobblebob

Have you thought about a change of department completely? I was in a B4 role that was really stressful due to the workload, changed departments to a B5 role and i have less work to do

LightFlare

Klippety said:

LightFlare said:

My partner left the NHS 4years ago after 25+ years service.

Her new job is just as stressful and still comes with issues (don’t most) - but she needed a change. 

She doesn’t regret the decision

It's good to hear that it has worked out for her. What's she doing now? 

She went from an education position to a slightly different one as a lecturer at a Uni.
She loves the change of environment, but it comes with the same levels of stress and hard work
The core job is pretty similar but the change of organisation and teaching content has been a breath of fresh air

Purplelady65

Klippety said:

Marcon said:

Klippety said:

bobblebob said:

I work in the NHS. There are many issues as an employee as you have stated some of them, but its great to progress your career

We have staff on Band 3 who have progressed to Band 5, 6 and beyond within a short period of time. Lots of transferable skills and always lots of jobs out there on internal notice boards

There are plenty of jobs in the NHS, but to jump from my current Band 4 to a Band 5 they expect an awful lot for the extra £800 a year in my trust.

There's certainly no such thing as a free lunch given what they expect for the miniscule pay rise. 

But would you enjoy the job more? Would it enhance your future career prospects if you had a Band 5 job?

Absolutely not to both questions. 

I’m not sure why you think obtaining a Band 5 position would not enhance your future career prospects. I work in the NHS. It’s very hierarchical, everyone know what band everyone else is on and roles are often referred to as a band x job etc. However a Band 5 role is more likely to lead to a Band 6 role then a Band 7 role e.t.c. So from that perspective it would enhance your job prospects. 

Due to the apprenticeship levy the NHS has significantly increased the number of apprenticeships over recent years with many existing staff studying for qualifications via an apprenticeship. Are there any apprenticeship courses that would be of interest to you? Maybe contact the apprenticeship co-ordinator in your Trust to see what might be possible. That way you could gain a qualification while you continue working. 

The suggestion by OP of looking at the vacancies on the Civil Service website is a good one as that open you up to job possibilities outside of healthcare.