Published26 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingBy Hugh PymHealth editorMore than 27,000 healthcare workers in England are set to receive one-off payments of at least £1,600 in their April pay packets. The money will go to staff such as community nurses, physiotherapists and cleaners who do NHS work, but are employed by non-NHS organisations. It follows a campaign for these workers to get the same pay award already made to NHS staff last year in England.That was a lump sum of at least £1,655 and a 5% pay rise.Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said the move would ensure “hardworking staff” and the organisations they work for can fully benefit from the NHS pay deal. “I hugely value the hard work of all our healthcare staff, and those working in non-NHS organisations offer vital support to patients.”I want to ensure that eligible staff receive these payments, which is why we chose to deliver this funding and why we have taken the decision to relax the financial eligibility criteria employers must meet,” she said.But one employers’ group said the process was unfair, and some would still not get the money.What’s happening?The pay award to NHS staff was made last May. But staff working in frontline NHS settings who are employed by other organisations did not get the one-off payment, even though they are on similar contracts to their NHS counterparts under a system agreed with unions, known as Agenda For Change. These include not-for-profit community groups known as social enterprises, founded to take on outsourced services. In November 2023, the Government said it would pay out the money but employers, who had previously threatened legal action, were told to apply and demonstrate that they could not afford to make the payments from their own resources. In February 2024, an employers’ organisation – Social Enterprise UK – told BBC News it was concerned about delays.Some organisations with staff on Agenda for Change contracts have now been told the funding will be transferred in time for April pay packets. One of them, CSH Surrey, which provides community nursing and therapy services to adults and children, welcomed the announcement. Steve Flanagan, its chief executive, said: “We have all fought hard for this and I really appreciate the support from partners across the NHS with this campaign”. Physiotherapist Julie Tollit told BBC News in October she felt “completely demoralised” when she was told she would not receive the payment. Following the latest announcement, she said: “As a healthcare worker at a social enterprise who provides vital NHS community services, receiving this payment recognises how I am – and have always been – part of the NHS family.” NHS pay: Health staff to begin legal fight over Covid bonusBut employers whose staff do NHS work but not on Agenda for Change contracts will not get the government funding. Dan Gregory, director of Social Enterprise UK, said: “While we’re relieved to see some of our members receive this long-awaited funding, the process itself is fundamentally unfair, failing to recognise their crucial role in delivering frontline care. Some social enterprises have not received funding, while many did.”Other health staff who didn’t get the lump sum payment include some “bank staff” who provide temporary cover for hospital trusts to fill rota gaps. The Royal College of Nursing has also been campaigning on behalf of members in GP practices.And some members of the Unite union have staged industrial action when employers have failed to make the payments. These include cleaners, porters and other NHS facilities staff. Separate pay deals have been agreed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. More on this storyHealth staff win Covid bonus after legal threatPublished6 November 2023Health staff to begin legal fight over Covid bonusPublished26 October 2023Some NHS temporary staff miss out on full pay dealPublished21 July 2023

Published15 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Hugh PymHealth editorEmployers are “extremely concerned” up to 20,000 health workers in England have not yet received a one-off payment of nearly £1,655 agreed last May.NHS staff in England were awarded the lump sum, alongside a 5% pay rise.Those in front-line NHS settings but employed by social enterprises were initially excluded, until November when ministers agreed to fund it.The government says non-NHS organisations are responsible for making the payments.Employers were told to apply to the Department of Health and Social Care to receive funding to cover the award. But they say there is still no indication of when this will happen and have not been updated on progress.’Extremely concerned’These social enterprises are often not-for-profit community organisations founded to take on services outsourced by the NHS in England. Staff, including community nurses and physiotherapists, are transferred across from NHS trusts but remain on the same pay and conditions. And some continue to wear NHS uniforms.Social Enterprise UK director Dan Gregory said: “Social enterprises were promised funding to cover all parts of the NHS pay deal last year- but our members still haven’t seen that money.”So vital staff, working hard on the front line have now been waiting nearly a year for the government to properly fund the bonus that was agreed last spring. “We remain extremely concerned that the government is not fulfilling its side of the deal to ensure that all staff delivering NHS care are paid what they deserve.”Health staff win Covid bonus after legal threatSome NHS temporary staff miss out on full pay deal Social Enterprise UK had threatened to take the government to court under judicial-review proceedings but paused its action when ministers said they would come up with the money. But the option to continue with the action expires this week, meaning Social Enterprise UK would have to go back to the start of the prolonged judicial-review process.CSH Surrey provides community nursing and therapy services to adults and children and management were hoping to get the lump sum into March pay packets. But chief executive Steve Flanagan said: “To date, we have not had any feedback or communication regarding an outcome of our application. “We were hopeful that after the positive response, this would be resolved quickly allowing our ‘overlooked’ colleagues to be treated equally – but so far, this has not been the case.”Speech-and-language therapist Pippa Wiseman said: “We continued seeing patients throughout lockdown, in full personal protective equipment, visiting households, care homes and working in community hospitals. “To not receive this bonus has been incredibly disappointing for so many front-line people delivering NHS community services like me.”Industrial actionOther health groups have also been protesting, including some “bank staff”, who provide temporary cover for hospital trusts to fill rota gaps. The Royal College of Nursing has also been campaigning on behalf of members in GP practices. And some members of the Unite union have staged industrial action when employers have failed to make the payments. These include cleaners, porters and other NHS facilities staff, who demonstrated at the Department of Health this week.Separate pay deals have been agreed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: “Whilst these staff are contractually eligible for the payments, the independent organisations are responsible for making them.”As outlined in the guidance, the outcome of applications made by individual organisations for additional funding will be known by the end of the financial year.”More on this storyHealth staff win Covid bonus after legal threatPublished6 November 2023Health staff to begin legal fight over Covid bonusPublished26 October 2023Some NHS temporary staff miss out on full pay dealPublished21 July 2023

Published3 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingBy Hugh PymHealth editorThe six-day junior doctors’ strike is the longest period of industrial action by NHS workers in its history.We were warned it would pose a “serious threat to patient safety”. One hospital even told staff the situation could become as difficult as it was during the first wave of Covid. How does a hospital cope when a large proportion of its medics heads out of the door and onto the picket line?On the first day of this strike, I went to a major teaching hospital to find out how it planned to cope in the days ahead. It was clear managers had planned well for the strike, with more consultants and other more senior medics drafted in to cover. The emergency department seemed to be running efficiently when I arrived, despite the strike and some staff sickness. But the general manager told me a “huge team effort” was under way to keep on top of demand for care, and manage “tight” capacity.It was to be a challenging week ahead, but senior doctors on the whole seemed to support the industrial action by their junior colleagues.That said, an obvious and growing sense of fatigue had set in. One consultant covering in the emergency department told me he expected to work 70 hours over the six days, by which time he would be “exhausted”.”The workload is heavy and it’s complex. And we can only sustain it in short bursts, doing this complete, perpetual day and night cover,” he said.As the ward and all its beds quickly filled up, he admitted the days ahead seemed “daunting”.After many months of covering strike days, hospital consultants are, like many others, keen to see a settlement. As well as covering the wards and dealing with medical emergencies, they are having to perform surgery, and even manage discharges. Delays in patients leaving hospital were likely to clog the system and create a shortage of beds for new arrivals, I was told.How much do junior doctors get paid and what will it take to settle?’Treading a tightrope’As most non-urgent operations are cancelled during doctors’ strikes, this hospital was prioritising cardiac and cancer surgery. But managers said they were “treading a tightrope” over decisions on whose operations should be postponed, as long waits for surgery could be life-threatening for some. The medical director told me the trust was “on track” with cancer operations, but “by the skin of our teeth”.Meanwhile, a matron running a post-surgery recovery ward told me her nurses were having to take on emergency cases during the strike. This, she said, was a “whole different kettle of fish” which required different skills and experience. Her already overstretched staff were worried about doing their best for patients, she said, which was “frustrating”.Some other hospitals are struggling with sheer demand. Historically, hospitals are under the greatest pressure at this time of year, and this time they’re having to cope without a significant proportion of their workforce.Many trusts have this week declared “critical incidents”, which means they are facing “extraordinary” pressures.More than 20 trusts have asked the doctors’ trade union, the British Medical Association (BMA), to call back striking doctors from the picket lines – requests which have largely been refused.An internal letter I have seen, sent to staff at another major hospital, reveals a heightened sense of concern about the junior doctor strikes. It refers to an incident response call-out plan to cover rota gaps and warned that “these are truly extraordinary measures which we have not had to implement since early pandemic times”.Image source, PA MediaWhen the strike ends early on Tuesday morning, there is likely to be renewed and intense focus on a solution. The BMA and the government have indicated a willingness to resume negotiations, but there may first have to be “talks about talks” to set out the terrain for discussion. The junior doctors’ committee of the BMA wants a more “credible” offer. Ministers may feel unwilling to add to the 3% extra suggested on top of the 8.8% already paid out.Patients, staff and NHS managers can only hope that a settlement can be reached, but the outcome is far from certain. There could still be more of this trouble ahead. Consultants in England are being balloted on a pay offer and it is possible they will reject it.Junior doctors in Wales are to stage a three-day strike from 15 January in a dispute over pay, and those in Northern Ireland are to be balloted. It is hard to rule out the possibility of continued walkouts and disruption for the NHS beyond the early weeks of 2024. More on this storyHospital declares critical incident amid pressurePublished5 January 2023What are junior doctors paid – and how much to settle?Published2 days agoGive us credible offer and we’ll end strikes – BMAPublished2 days agoNHS chief warns of tough new year as strike loomsPublished4 days agoDisruption warning as junior doctor strikes returnPublished20 December 2023Related Internet LinksBMA – Home – British Medical AssociationDepartment of Health and Social Care – GOV.UKNHS EnglandThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.