Temporary Workers At Derby And Burton Hospitals Are 'Angry And Upset' At Losing Shifts

Temporary workers at Derby and Burton's hospitals who have been stripped of all their shifts say they feel "angry", "disheartened", "disregarded", "undervalued" and "upset".

More than 500 members of staff work bank shifts at the five University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust sites.

These fill vital gaps in the local health system, often at weekends or at night-time.

Some of these staff have spoken to the Local Democracy Reporting Service anonymously, raising their worries.

They say they have dropped from having 30 hours plus of work a week to zero.

They say they are worried about how they will support their children through university and are having to scrimp on food supplies and are considering looking elsewhere for work or turning to Universal Credit.

Furlough is not available to them, the trust says. NHS England has not commented on why this is so.

The trust has cut back on routine medical work as it copes with the Covid-19 outbreak.

One Derby and Burton bank worker said: "There are pretty much no shifts left for us, they dried up almost completely overnight and we are struggling to get by.

"We should be allowed to go on furlough too, but that isn't available to us.

"Everyone is frustrated. The financial impact is making a big difference to me.

"It is very quiet in the hospital, not a lot is happening. It is not as busy as is being made out and we aren't getting as many Covid patients any more either.

"My husband is still working and has guaranteed pay, so we have enough to get by but we do need to pay our mortgage and are cutting back on food.

"My pay allowed us to top those things up, but not anymore. I might need to apply for Universal Credit.

"I used to be working 37 and a half hours a week or more and we are not on good money anyway, it's the living wage of about £8.71 an hour.

"My pay has gone down from around £450 a week to £136.

"I've worked here for seven years and I am not happy at all about this. I feel completely undervalued and not wanted.

"Retired staff who have come back to work during the crisis have taken up the shifts that we relied on. A lot of these have been thrust into the heart of the epidemic out of their comfort zones when we are used to working on those wards.

"That has most definitely affected bank nurses."

Another Derby and Burton bank staff member said: "I have no income and no idea when I will be able to work again.

"The situation is that there are no bank shifts due to staff being redeployed due to the coronavirus. I personally used to work up to 30 hrs a week now there are no shifts.

"Some members have asked about being furloughed but UHDB said no because the bank is an NHS group.

"Generally people are frustrated as they have no income.

"I am uncertain about whether I will continue with bank work. The hospital may suggest permanent contracts as an alternative but this doesn't work for me as I am a student.

"We have had to make cutbacks. My husband has been put on furlough but he still gets paid 80 per cent of his salary. I think it's a lot worse for people who are on their own who now have no income at all.

"My salary would have covered the shortfall when my husband was furloughed. We are having to cut back as one of our children is about to go to university and we are not certain we can support them.

"The way UHDB has treated their bank staff means that people are upset and uncertain. Therefore there is a good chance they will look for work elsewhere. I am aware of people already doing this.

"There is the potential for when things go back to normal there will be a potential shortfall in bank staff. Bank staff are there to fill a shortfall in the hospital.

"Do the people that clap for the NHS on Thursday know what is going on?"

A further anonymous bank staff member at Derby and Burton said: "We are the staff that are working on the front-lines, and were all through March, with people when they are dying and supporting them because family members can't in the way they would want.

"It is the younger staff I am most worried about, who have no savings at all. Some have lost all of their income entirely – from full time hours to nothing, they are distressed.

"We worked solidly at the start of the crisis for four or five weeks straight, barely having time to stop for lunch and now we have nothing, no shifts and no pay, I feel used.

"Bank staff are the mainstay of the hospital, most of us can't take full time positions due to other reasons.

"A lot need to fit shifts around family life. Those are the ones who need this money the most, but we have all lost money.

"I know a young bank nurse who has had to leave her children at home with her mum and dad to work for 12 hours and then return home to work on her dissertation and care for her kids.

"We are often the last person our patients see before they die.

"Shifts have been filled with people coming out of retirement or with people who have been trained up – instead of using bank staff, we are far more experienced and know these wards.

"I would be surprised if staff don't leave and go elsewhere.

"Shifts are about £80 each and night-time and weekend shifts are more.

"I feel disheartened and disregarded, you feel as if you have been pushed aside and used to get over the hard part at the start of the crisis. I have done years of work and this is how I am treated.

"Staff have moved in to caravans or hotels to protect their families and loved ones and now we have pushed aside."

Amanda Rawlings, executive director of people and organisational development at UHDB, said: "Bank workers are a much valued and essential part of the trust workforce and we're sorry that we haven't been able to offer as many options for shifts.

"There are shifts available across all five of our hospital sites, but these may be different to those they have accessed before.

"The trust has made some changes to ensure services can continue to be delivered safely during the coronavirus pandemic, and we are very grateful for everyone who has supported us during this time.

"We actively look to recruit as many of our bank workers as substantive staff and will continue to offer this going forward."

The hospital says 3,000 hours of bank shifts in March were offered but were not been taken up.