NHS Employers urge unsocial hours pay reform

14 Jan 15
NHS Employers has published proposals to reform health service pay in a bid to tackle the higher costs of providing more services at evenings and weekends.

By Richard Johnstone | 14 January 2015

NHS Employers has published proposals to reform health service pay in a bid to tackle the higher costs of providing more services at evenings and weekends.

In an submission to the NHS Pay Review Body, the employers group said current payments to staff to cover working unsocial hours should be changed as they were currently an ‘inhibitor’ to attempts to provide a better, safer and more responsive service.

Among the proposed changes is a plan to extend the definition of normal work hour period until at least 10pm on Monday to Fridays. This would help offset the extra costs of moves to a seven-day staffing, which have been estimated by NHS England medical director Sir Bruce Keogh as part of his Seven Days a Week Forum to be between 1.5% and 2% of total income. The submission also noted that cost was one of the main reason highlighted by NHS trusts as an obstacle to moving to seven day a week staffing.

Current unsocial hour payments range from an extra 30% to an additional 50% for Saturdays and weekday evenings depending on pay grade, and as much as double time for working on Sundays and public holidays.

If working until 10pm on Monday to Friday was paid at normal rates under the NHS Agenda for Change contract, £90m could be saved, the submission stated. Extending this to Saturdays could save £290m, while also including Sunday would save £770m.

Any changes must be negotiated with health trade unions, but NHS Employers chief executive Danny Mortimer said these changes would improve the efficiency of the NHS and support the expansion of services.

‘Our submission makes it clear that improvements in seven-day working will help the NHS to run more efficiently. For this to happen, the pay and terms and conditions of service for all NHS staff need to continue to adapt to make them more affordable and sustainable,’ he added.

‘Unsocial hours payment arrangements are one of the key issues that need to be addressed and we are keen to work with national trade unions to explore the scope for agreeing a fair package of pay, terms and conditions which is fit for the future and provides the best care for patients seven days a week.’

The review bodies are expected to report in the summer on whether it will approve any changes.

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