Dorset County Hospital staff angry over new pay proposals (From Thisisdorset)
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Dorset County Hospital staff angry over new pay proposals
2:00pm Saturday 30th June 2012 in News By Harry Hogger
UNFAIR: DCH employee and Unite member Martin Shepherd plans to ask the Trust to remove itself from the Pay Consortium
STAFF at Dorset County Hospital are said to be feeling ‘anger and resentment’ after proposals to move towards regional pay were revealed.
A leaked document from the newly formed South West Pay Consortium has sparked fears that NHS staff in the South West could work longer hours for less pay if a regional system is introduced to replace the national terms and conditions.
The Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of 16 organisations to join the consortium, which was set up to help trusts ‘modernise’ pay, terms and conditions in the region.
Proposals put forward by the consortium include a reduction in annual leave entitlement, changes to sick pay, performance related pay and a review of enhanced payments for night, weekend and Bank Holiday working. Pharmacist Martin Shepherd, who has worked at the hospital for over 26 years, said employees at the Dorchester hospital were incensed by the proposals.
He said this was particularly because staff had already taken their fair share of hits to terms and conditions during the financial difficulties the hospital had experienced in recent years and had played a key part in getting it back to a sound footing.
Speaking on behalf of the Unite union, Mr Shepherd said: “Over the last couple of years the Trust has been in quite a dire situation and it’s down to the staff’s hard work that it has regained some kind of balance.
“Now we find they are going behind our backs to join a pay cartel that worsens our conditions, the staff are very angry about it. Staff are very aware and there is quite a degree of anger and resentment.”
Mr Shepherd said staff were also angry that the hospital, like the other trusts in the consortium, had paid £10,000 towards it – money that they feel could have been spent on patient care.
He also argued against the whole principle of regional pay, claiming staff in the South West delivered the same standard of care at the same cost as any other trust in the country – something that should be reflected with equal pay.
Mr Shepherd said: “As a hospital if you do a hip replacement in Newcastle or Plymouth you get paid the same so why should staff caring for that patient be paid any different?”
Mr Shepherd said unions were planning to raise a petition asking the Trust to remove itself from the Pay Consortium.
‘No decisions have been made’
The hospital’s director of workforce and human resources Mark Power said the board had agreed to be part of the consortium to look at pay, terms and conditions for non-medical staff.
He added: “We are interested to see whether there is scope for more appropriately and effectively recognising and rewarding staff for the contribution they make. “This is particularly important in light of the challenges we face now, and will continue to face in the future. We have to meet the demand for improved and more efficient services in the face of rising pay and non-pay costs and diminishing income, while also trying to protect and maintain jobs.”
Mr Power said although a number of suggestions had been made by the consortium, no decisions had yet been made and any proposals would be consulted on with unions.
He added: “We will carefully, and independently, consider any proposals that emerge from the consortium’s work before we decide whether we would wish to take them further.
“We reserve the right to withdraw from the consortium at any time.”
Comments(20)
JamesYoung
says...
5:31pm Sat 30 Jun 12
oldbrock
says...
6:47pm Sat 30 Jun 12
irisred
says...
6:59pm Sat 30 Jun 12
JamesYoung wrote:They don't get the same as their colleagues in London. NHS staff in London still get weighted salaries.
Asking people to work for less is clearly not motivational. But unless these public spirited folks are prepared to pay the same for a plumber, car repair, theatre ticket, meal, childminder or house than they would be expected to pay in London, then i don't see why they need more than their colleagues in the city. After all, this is how every other profession is treated.
All this will do is bring the salaries of these workers in line with the poor salary rates in the area, which we know are very disparate from local house prices.
Yes, a loaf of bread here, costs close enough to a loaf of bread in London or Cornwall but house prices in the area are phenomenally high and the salaries do not reflect this.
This is not a surprise but it is appalling when there are so many other ways that money could be saved. I don't normally agree with unions or their actions but I might be inclined to agree with them if they kick up a stink about this one!
weymouthfox
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11:02pm Sat 30 Jun 12
Hodder
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9:42am Sun 1 Jul 12
'Reward the right behaviour and culture.' - e.g. no whistle blowing if the statistics are being massaged and etc! ( e.g. Gary Walker of the United Lincolnshire Hospitals?)
Mr Shepherd will also note that the £10,000 is just the first installment to be paid – more to come!
The term 'divide and conquer' comes to mind?
portlandboy
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10:09am Sun 1 Jul 12
Why not pay on results? Well simply because the DCH front-liners would all get quite a big pay rise.
grandiose
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2:31pm Sun 1 Jul 12
how do you think the hospital has got out of the mess it was in. DCH runs on the good will of it's staff who have been working under extremely difficult conditions whilst DCH has been trying to get back to a better financial position.Portland boy is right, you only have to have been an inpatient to see this. Without this good will and dedication we patients would all be going to Bournemouth for treatment as the hospital would have folded. To say to DCH staff that" they have a job get a grip" is ridiculous. Working in a hospital needs certain skills that takes years to train for, you can't just walk in to a job like that. I appreciate these skills especially when I need them, my family have been well looked after at DCH and I support the DCH staff. If the bosses at DCH do end up taking on this Cartel's proposals then it would be a betrayal of the loyal staff and I am sure if they removed their good will, then we patient's would be the worse off. Employers should not be allowed to expect staff to work under poor conditions just because they should be grateful for a job, at that rate we would be sending our kids down the mines.
Working in a holiday camp nowhere near compares with the work that is done in a hospital that is if you work in Haven "HavenSeaview". Perhaps we should ask Haven their views, that would be interesting
clansman59
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11:32pm Sun 1 Jul 12
HavenSeaview wrote:Havenseaview either you are telling fibs or you did work in the finance dept. but your standard of the English is very poor and as popsiebabes asks did you get the sack for your poor spelling. Unlike you I still work for the hospital working with patients & I feel the trust is not getting better and patient care is suffering from the short sightedness of the cost cutting the have implemented over the past year. They have closed a complete medical ward and other beds in the hospital supposedly which is not have to have any effect on patient care. And what is wrong with people working on flexi time on full pay surely flexi time means your work hours are based around you work & home life I am sure there is a lot of companies who have staff working this way. As for shutting up and stop moaning, yes I am grateful I have job that appears to be well paid compared to some other jobs but I have but a lot of effort getting this job and as other people have said there are lot of staff who work over their work hours with out any extra pay. People working in NHS such as nurses & doctors have spent years studying to become qualified and still continue to update the skill and training every year and I sorry if this offends you but all their hard work deserves reward and support and not to be treat as poor relations to those working in bigger towns/cities.
Realy well i think i have a good insight as i wored for the trust in the finance department, Having signed a disclaimer i can not say too much however you would be suprised at the level of staff on flexi time on full pay. Yes care has improved and the trust is improving . Regarding my username is due to the fact i am the companys finance controller. By all means contact Haven would you like there direct number???
grandiose
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12:16am Mon 2 Jul 12
Carry on doing the good work and thank you for your loyalty to the NHS. There are a lot of jobs in other countries in their Health Services whose conditions and pay are much better but you continue to stay here.
clansman59
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1:20am Mon 2 Jul 12
maleficus
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1:24am Mon 2 Jul 12
cj07589
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9:47am Mon 2 Jul 12
portlandboy
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10:56am Mon 2 Jul 12
hoopeybird
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1:03pm Mon 2 Jul 12
I work more hours than I am paid
for at DCH and nearly every week we get yet another stab in the back! We rarely get thanks,but once a week we get reports of the hospital spending,with comments on whats been overspent,usually we are made to feel at fault when this happens yet,in my opinion,we should be spending more,not less on patients andless on management .
Among the 'top'staff there is constant back slapping but the hard working frontliners hardly get a mention unless we 'fall short'on some deadline or other.then we are all made to feel guilty!we had to beg for the queens jubilee off but management made us feel like criminals. I say we should get rid of these high earners who sit making decisions on how to waste money. well done Martin for highlighting the issue of pay! I shall be signing for sure!
banknote
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7:01pm Mon 2 Jul 12
I bet it's not!
MaidofDorset
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4:04pm Tue 3 Jul 12
Sadly many of those children have no intention of returning to Dorset when they are qualified due to the high cost of living.
A three bed home in Scunthorpe is £112K. You'd be lucky to get a 1 bed flat in Dorchester.
Dorset is not a cheap place to live. Slashing staff salaries will encourage staff to migrate to better paying hospitals.
portlandboy
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4:34pm Tue 3 Jul 12
Doubt that very much...
Sarum2000
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8:10pm Wed 4 Jul 12
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Sarum2000
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8:19pm Wed 4 Jul 12
CoogarUK.com says...
3:12pm Sat 30 Jun 12