‘It is unfair’: Bank staff at hospital frustrated by dramatically reduced hours

Bank staff at Lynn’s hospital have voiced worries about their financial future after a dramatic reduction in shifts.These staff members work on a temporary basis, operating on a flexible schedule which allows them to earn a wage while carrying out other commitments. It also allows hospital bosses to ensure shifts are adequately covered.However, workers who use this system at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital have expressed concerns over a lack of available hours.

They claim that despite making complaints and asking for clear reasoning behind the changes, they have made no progress.The QEH has stressed that following a recruitment campaign, it has managed to hire a number of permanent staff members – reducing its reliance on outside workers.“I and others have complained but they not going to change their mind at present,” one bank staff member said. “The problem is us bank staff have families to feed (and) bills to pay, but with lack of hours we won’t be able to continue working with the NHS.“I feel most bank workers are now looking at working elsewhere, including myself.” He said he has only been able to take on four hours of work this month so far, and is “very concerned”.Another worker says that 70% of the shifts she had scheduled between now and the end of October have been cancelled. She says she works times that suit her young children’s routines.She also claims that an app used to organise bank shifts has not displayed any new information about shifts in nearly two weeks. “I think it is unfair, how people have been treated,” she said.“It leaves patient safety at risk with not enough staff members on the ward.“There are hundreds of people that are not able to afford their bills right now. What people are really upset about is that we were not made aware of this until it fell on our doorstep.“If we had just been told… but we weren’t told. There are hundreds of people that are now unable to feed their families. “People should have been given warning about this.”However, John Syson, director of people at the QEH, said: “Appropriately staffing our hospital and keeping our patients safe is our top priority. The temporary worker bank is used to ensure that shifts are adequately covered.“Following a successful recruitment campaign, we have now recruited to many of our substantive vacancies across the trust, reducing the need for some shifts to be filled by our temporary worker bank, however bank shifts still remain available.”An email sent to bank staff by QEH bosses, seen by the Lynn News, said the reduction in shifts was down to “a combination of factors that have impacted our staffing needs and scheduling processes”. It says these include the closing of the Castleacre Ward, “changes in demand”, and new staffing strategies.The statement added: “While we understand that bank shifts are an important aspect of flexibility for many of you, these adjustments are necessary to ensure that our staffing levels remain aligned with our current operational needs.“Please be assured that we are continuously monitoring the situation and will communicate any further relevant changes to you.“For the avoidance of doubt, although bank visibility may be minimised, the use of staff will not be discontinuing.”