'Workers feel insulted and exploited' - Members of industry body hits out at lower rates of pay for Black Country health workers
An industry body say nursing staff feel 'Insulted and Exploited' by moves from NHS trusts in the Black Country to cut their pay for extra hours worked.
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The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) claims members' employers are reluctant to grant them overtime at the NHS's standard rate of 1.5 times their regular pay, meaning they have to book through an in-house staffing bank.
They say four hospital and community trusts in a partnership known as the Black Country Provider Collaborative are cutting bank pay rates to the lowest point of their pay band – citing financial pressures for the decision, which follows input from external consultants.
They claim it will leave a band five staff nurse up to £40 worse off for working a 12.5-hour bank shift compared to a regular shift.
According to the RCN figures, a Healthcare Support Worker or assistant on a band three rate will be only paid £12.31 per hour overtime compared to a national rate of £18.46 and a Nursing Assistant on a band four rate will only be paid £13.57 per hour compared with a £20.35 entry rate nationally.
