Payment for every hour worked
Understand your rights and say no to unpaid hours
It's high time nursing staff are paid for 'invisible' work.
1.7 million people interact with the NHS daily, but staffing hasn’t kept pace with demand. Instead, nursing has been cut, squeezed and devalued. You're asked to deliver more with less. Many of you work through your breaks and more than your required hours. For years, the value placed on your time has been eroded.
To meet patient needs, many NHS employers rely on the goodwill of staff, expecting you to work for free to deliver care that you fear could otherwise be left undone. This is unfair and unsafe.
Unpaid hours, working through breaks, employers' refusal to pay overtime and cuts to bank rates are all serious issues in the NHS that put patients at risk. Understand why, know your rights and join the fight for change.
Why being paid for every hour you work matters
Seven in 10 members who took our survey say they work extra hours to keep services running. Half of them say they're not paid for their additional work.
Some told us they work at least seven hours extra a week, and others more than 10.
Being paid for the hours you work and getting the breaks you need is not just fair, it’s what you’re contractually owed. It also protects patient safety and the public.
High additional costs should indicate to managers, employers and front-line service systems that something is wrong – that there's too much demand for the staffing levels provided.
That's why it's so important that if you're not being paid for your time, you raise it with your manager.
Know your rights under NHS terms and conditions
You may request, be asked or simply expected to work additional hours. Your line manager or team leader must agree in advance that you can work the additional hours required to meet patient needs as overtime.
This is to make sure you’re entitled to being paid in line with the terms and conditions set out below, if you don't take time off in lieu.
- Extra hours up to full-time should be paid at the normal rate.
- In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, extra hours beyond full-time (37.5 hours) should be paid at 1.5x your normal rate, if you work at bands 1 to 7.
- In Scotland, extra hours beyond full-time (37 hours) should be paid at 1.5x your normal rate, if you work at bands 1 to 8.
- You should receive 2x your normal rate for hours worked on public holidays.
Overtime and the bank
Across the UK, you've been reporting that your contractual right to overtime has been ignored. Instead, you're encouraged to take on extra hours with bank work, often at a lower rate of pay.
Many employers have cut their bank rates – in some cases, to the lowest points of nursing pay or below your normal rate. This is wrong. You should always be paid at your normal level, or at the band appropriate for the responsibility, autonomy and risk that is expected of you when working bank shifts.
The over-reliance on insecure working arrangements devalues nursing pay. It can also destabilise the nursing workforce and put patients at risk.
The bottom line? Payments aren't perks. Your employer must pay you for every hour you work.
Not being paid for extra hours? Get ready to act
We'll soon be inviting you to speak up so we can hold employers to account.
That's why we're asking you to check your workplace details are up to date, including your band.
Stay involved. Stay informed.
We're building a movement and this is just the start.
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