|
answer text |
<p>The Department is helping to promote flexible working for doctors and nurses through
the interim NHS People Plan which outlines the new offer for staff and sets out what
support will be offered to National Health Service staff including flexible working.
The interim NHS People Plan will be developed over the summer with publication of
the final version expected after the spending review later this year.</p><p>The Government
also made a manifesto commitment to “…strengthen the entitlement for NHS employees
to flexible working to help those with caring responsibilities for young children
or older relatives.” This includes the improvement in the use of technology to help
trusts with e-rostering and e-job planning to optimise the use of their permanent
and temporary workforces.</p><p>The Junior Doctor’s contract agreement provides for
£1,000 less than full time trainee allowance to recognise additional costs such trainees
face.</p><p>NHS Improvement continues to promote flexible working for staff including
doctors and nurses through its NHS Staff Retention Collaborative. This initiative
initially focussed on nurses and clinicians working in mental health but has now been
extended to all staff groups<sup>1</sup>.</p><p>Flexible working for all staff including
doctors and nurses is promoted through the NHS Constitution which states that staff
have the right “to fair treatment regarding leave, rights and flexible working” and
also states that “employers…must consider flexible working requests by employees with
at least 26 weeks continuous service”.<sup>2</sup></p><p>The Department is currently
working closely with NHS Improvement to roll out smarter staff banks. As well as reducing
reliance on expensive recruitment agencies, staff banks provide a further opportunity
for flexible working in the NHS. Effective staff banks can give staff the freedom
to manage their own time, using simple, user-friendly technologies to pick up shifts
when they want them, get paid quickly, and have control over their pension contributions.
Furthermore, where several banks are joined together into collaborative banks, trusts
can dramatically increase the size of the flexible workforce they can reach and increase
the opportunities for those working flexibly to choose the shifts that fit in with
their lives.</p><p>Notes:</p><p><sup>1</sup> <a href="https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/improving-staff-retention/"
target="_blank">https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/improving-staff-retention/</a></p><p><sup>2
</sup><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/770675/The_Handbook_to_the_NHS_Constitution_-_2019.pdf"
target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/770675/The_Handbook_to_the_NHS_Constitution_-_2019.pdf</a></p>
|
|