LABOUR is presenting new evidence to parliament today showing moves to break away from national pay in the NHS are spreading across England. A total of 31 NHS trusts, including 20 in the South West region, have been exploring opting out of national pay.
The 20 trusts in the South West have formed a ‘pay cartel’ with the aim of creating a regional pay system, with plans to reduce pay, increase working hours and cut sickness entitlements.
A further 11 trusts are following suit:
• North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust plans to sack over 5,000 staff members early next year and re-hire them on reduced terms and conditions and the neighbouring South Tees trust has confirmed it is exploring similar action.
• Sunderland City Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have introduced a policy to freeze the pay increment of any member of staff who does not receive an annual appraisal or complete certain training modules, contrary to national Agenda for Change terms.
• Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust are freezing pay increments for staff who do not complete seven mandatory training modules, or who do not receive an appraisal in a 12-month period.
• Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust are withdrawing a cost of living allowance and Christmas payments, whilst increasing the Chief Executive’s salary to £189,000.
• Mid Cheshire Hospitals Foundation Trust have confirmed they are looking at alternative terms and conditions on sick pay.
• Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust tried to impose new rules to defer incremental pay rises if staff had been off sick.
• University Hospital of South Manchester Foundation Trust’s three year plan said they will consider ‘proposals for changes to terms and conditions outside of the national framework.’
• Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust has said it will assess moving away from Agenda for Change as part of plans to save £2.6m by 2014 from changes to staff allowances and terms and conditions.
• Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust attempted to impose inferior terms and conditions of new, non-medical employees but withdrew these plans after union pressure.
Andy Burnham MP, Labour Shadow Health Secretary, said in advance of the debate: ‘The NHS is fragmenting before our eyes. National pay is part of what holds our national service together. It is being broken apart and Ministers are doing absolutely nothing about it.’
