Nurses striking

[Dragon100]

Havin

 

[JoeBloggs]

huh? I never said at any point, that anyone should just get a different job. I don’t think that’s right at all. Where in my post did I even hint at that?

I was entirely critical of corporations who treat their retail employees as disposable and basically manipulate them into feeling they are less valuable than they actually are.

‘move to a head office/corporate role’ you said exactly that.

 

[Gloria Rostron]

Are all strikers narcissists and greedy?

I am not sure why you deleted your original message and reposted it after I answered.

 

[Tui]

Yep that was basically my point. Skills =/= a degree, necessarily, so I wouldn't agree 'gradate entry jobs should have a higher salary' per se. Then personally in addition to that I also think things like risk, general working conditions, lifestyle/working pattern, physical burden etc should factor into the salary, all of which apply to nurses/doctors, but not exclusively.

absolutely agree. I think a lot of p

Maybe slightly controversial but interested in the answer, if you can get £44k 9-5 for less training then why wouldn’t you? Is it the general work of a doctor being more enjoyable than a physician associate or is it something else? (I’m not in the medical field at all and genuinely curious)

Theres less progression as a PA and they cannot prescribe or order ionising radiation (X-ray, CT etc) but that could change. However as they are permanent staff members departments are keen to train them up when they are less interested in doing so for their doctors who tend to rotate to new jobs every 4-6 months as part of their training. For example, my department has secured funding to train a PA in day case procedures. That’s training opportunities taken away from doctors.

i think the PA experiment will fail. Nobody wants to do the scut work forever, they will always want training up in other things because the core of their job (ward work) is not going to be enough to sustain a career. But in the meanwhile they are creaming off the good bits about being a more junior doctor and leaving the shit work .

incidentally you have a medical degree you are exempt from training as a PA

 

[instasham13]

I think what happens in the NHS is clerical roles of which there's external competition for are generally fairly highly banded because they have to compete with other departments and private sector for staff; eg procurement, finance etc. For healthcare specific roles like A&E receptionist, ward clerks etc they're low bands as there isn't direct competition. It's really unfair. One of my close friends is a band 6 procurement officer, by her own admission she can work at home most days, the work isn't overly stressful and she has just a few years of experience; compare that to a ward clerk or receptionist who are usually rushed off their feet and dealing with often rude and aggressive patients. Not saying people like my friend should be paid less, but rather the disparity between the admin Roles should be addressed as well as that between healthcare staff and admin.

I know what you're saying. I think the salaries for these band 5/6 admin roles need to be that of the private sector to attract and keep people but from the point of view of of a dietician or nurse etc it's a bit disheartening. Nothing stopping nurses applying for these clerical roles for the same salary and many do but if everyone done that there would be no nurses left (exaggeration but you know what I mean) and that's why nurses and other allied healthcare professionals are fighting for recognition also.

 

[Emsie]

my view is, the government should be addressing all those things. And they have the money, power and ability to. It’s the inclination that’s lacking.

better working conditions for nurses won’t, for example, detract from better housing or childcare.

I agree with the government bit. So those that can strike could strike for these things. But they aren't. They are striking for their own personal payrise. In an ideal world that is how society should work.

 

[Gloria Rostron]

For real they’re 2 sides of the same coin and they’re all self serving shitbags

Did you see how much Angela Raynor claimed on expenses for a pen?!

 

[Snowjoke]

What’s the latest with the strike action now?

 

[gigilouxx]

In fairness though, Tameside is shit

Aw do you reckon?! I couldn’t sing their praises enough you know I’ve had all my kids there as well as the broken arms and bumped heads. I think they’re fab

Funnily enough it was the RMCH I wasn’t keen on

 

[Emsie]

Those opposed to striking are you happy with the current care offered?

We've been in children's a&e twice in January because it is IMPOSSIBLE to get a GP appointment. Both times it was fairly quiet, seen quickly enough, care was great. Hospital Doctor came and saw my son, gave us great advice, set up a referral of which I received an invite to a further appointment the next day. Wonderful care. Didn't seem like an NHS under pressure to me.

 

[Tui]

I fully support that their working conditions and pay is appalling however I do not support strikes.

We need to go back, no more needing a degree, more hands on paid training and much better pay. Free parking, on-site nurseries etc.Get rid of big bosses, paper pushers, they also need to bring back convalescent homes to make hospitals run better.

Hearing that the Scottish have reject a 11% rise is madness. Where do they think this money tree is c

I agree with you in the changes that need to happen but unfortunately nurses have been asking for these things for years and are not being listened to. Same as doctors. Whereas getting an objective pay rise is much easier to achieve.
The Scottish offer was an average rise of 7.5% , with it being 11% for the lowest paid depending on uplifts for different bands. Ultimately all NHS workers have experienced real terms pay cuts for the last 10 years and 7.5% average is sub inflation and another effective pay cut. They need to link public sector pay to RPI.

 

[instasham13]

I would be very happy with 7%. 7% of top band 5 in Scotland £35.365 is just shy of 40k.

 

[JoeBloggs]

Why is this problem more prevalent in the UK than other places though? The problem is we want to have a European style welfare state paid for by US style taxes.
The rich definitely need to pay more tax. Are we not being held to ransom by threats they'll leave?

But they will take their money out of economy and their businesses. They will run them from tax havens and then what do we do, tax the poor more?

 

[Emsie]

I don't understand why people are not up in arms or on the street protesting about what is happening to our NHS.
it's being deliberately destroyed because the governments want the UK to be the same as the USA. Most of it has already been sold and or privatised, this isn't new it's on its last legs

PM won't even negotiate because they (governments) want the strikes to happen because they want the public to turn against the strikers. it's going to be too late to do anything soon.

TBF I don't think people will ever turn against the NHS. It is very highly valued. But things do need to change within the organisation.

 

[Tui]

Just saw this thread. Don't quite have the staying power for all 28 pages but just wanted to jump on. I'm a doctor (general surgery, ST6) and in my opinion nurses are severely underpaid for what they do. I personally think a lot of roles (both clinical and non-clinical) within the NHS are under paid so I do think it needs to be looked at in a lot more detail then it just being the nurses who work so hard.

My husband is a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon and he has an amazing secretary (aka work wife) who works exceptionally hard, often staying over her hours (unpaid) to ensure everything is done for the patients. At the top of the scale and with London weighting she gets £31539, which if I have worked this out correctly, assuming pension contributions she takes home about £1865 a month. We’re in central London where I think you’d struggle to find anything that would cost less than £1000/£1200 a month in rent or mortgage so there’s not going to be much left over.

I was asked the other day what I would do regarding if the junior doctors strike and (my colleagues may hate me for this) I wouldn’t strike. Is it long hours? Yes. Do you get a lot of the crap that the consultants don’t want? Sure. But that being said, I don’t think the pay is that bad.

Oh dear i was agreeing with everything you said until you said you won’t strike. I’m a medical spr. Consultant pay is eroding rapidly so it won’t end when you cct!! Know your worth

 

[chapterthree]

I support the strikes but not the 16%, I think that’s asking for far too much. 10 seems more reasonable.