One NHS trust in the region has taken the surprise decision to buck a national trend and pay some bank staff a bonus, despite having no obligation to do so.
This will see the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust pay a lump sum to bank staff who work regular shifts. This comes following the NHS pay deal agreed by the Government and healthcare unions earlier this year.
That deal saw a lump sum bonus awarded to regular contracted staff - but this does not apply to bank staff, who tend to be employed on a zero-hours contract through a different employing entity. Despite this, the Northumbria trust which runs hospitals around Northumberland and North Tyneside, has decided in collaboration with UNISON to award a lump sum payment to certain staff who "work very regular shifts but in a more flexible way",
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This was first reported by the Health Service Journal, which quoted NHS executives at other health trusts calling this a "surprise move".
The Northumbria Healthcare trust said it was still following national guidance, but that reviewing the nature of it bank workforce revealed a "small number" of staff who are now to be paid the bonus.
A Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: “We are following all the national guidance on bank worker payments, but as part of this process we have uncovered a small number of staff who work in a way that has required closer attention.
"Our bank situation in Northumbria is slightly different in that it has traditionally hosted retire and return staff as well as people who work very regular shifts but in a more flexible way. With this in mind, we have agreed to fund the payment to these particular staff. We are now carrying out a review of the bank and looking at how it works in the future."
The national guidance, published on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care by the NHS Employers organisation, states: "These non-consolidated payments cover staff directly employed by NHS organisations (e.g. staff on permanent and fixed term contracts) [...] as of 31 March 2023. However, there may be local contractual arrangements that need to be considered."
Other NHS trusts in the North East simply said they were following the guidance, and are not thought to be offering the payment to bank staff. A member of bank staff at one of those trusts told ChronicleLive this was "just another disappointment" and that staff felt "disappointed, disheartened and most of all let-down".
The Cumbria Northmberland, Tyne and Wear, South Tyneside and Sunderland, and Newcastle Hospitals NHS trusts all said they were following the guidance. The County Durham and Darlington and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS trusts did not respond when approached for comment. At the Gateshead Health NHS Trust, bosses said they valued the contribution of bank staff but were not, after "careful consideration" offering the bonus to those staff due to their contracts.
A Gateshead Health spokesperson said: "After careful consideration, Gateshead Health NHS Trust is not paying the non-consolidated payment in respect of 2022/23 to our bank workers. NHS Employers have been clear that these payments are eligible only to substantively employed staff and we, along with the majority of colleagues in the North East, and the majority of NHS Trusts nationally are adhering to the national guidance.
"We value our bank staff and agree that they make a huge contribution to the delivery of care to our patients, however their contractual status means the payment does not apply. We would welcome any bank workers that wish to take up permanent or fixed term employment contracts with the Trust to do so – this has always been an offer to these workers."
