Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How do I receive payment for shifts worked?

When the shift is completed the unit manager or nominated deputy will confirm the hours worked and finalise the shift on the electronic system. The shift is then authorised for payment and will be transferred to payroll at the next run. Your basic hourly rate of pay will be dependent on the band required for the shift and the time of the assignment and will be in accordance with the Trust’s pay rates.

You will be paid for any assignment done in the calendar month immediately following the month in which the assignment was undertaken. You will be paid by direct credit to a bank account nominated by you on the 28th of each month. Where the 28th falls on a weekend or bank holiday, payment will be made on the immediately preceding banking business day.

How do I claim annual leave?

Your pro rata holiday is 5.6 weeks’ paid annual leave per annum including bank holidays. Payment for this is calculated on days worked and paid quarterly in February, May, August and November.

Do I need to be DBS cleared to work on the bank?

Under NHS Employer Check standards, the Trust has to ensure that all Nurse Bank Workers have an annual enhanced level Disclosure and Barring Services check, in order to continue working on the Bank.

When a new member of staff joins the Bank, a DBS check will be completed as part of the Recruitment checks. At this point, we expect our staff to sign up to the DBS Update Service. There is a £13 annual charge to sign up for this service. But by doing this, your DBS will be checked yearly and kept up to date, without the need to submit a new DBS each time and have fresh ID verification checks completed.

How many shifts am I expected to work on the bank?

Our emphasis is on having a working bank. The trust provides considerable resource to the Staffing Solutions service, which is not best served by maintaining records for people who are not engaging in work. For that reason, we have a minimum shift expectation of 1 shift every 3 months. The Staffing Solutions team conduct monthly checks, to see if any workers have not met this criteria. If they have not, a letter will be issued to the worker advising that we intend to remove them from the Bank. The worker would then have 2 weeks to reply and advise of any extenuating circumstances they want to be taken into consideration.

Please let the Team know if you think you will struggle to meet the required shift levels. If there is a suitable reason for not being able to work, we will exclude you from any upcoming monthly checks, for an agreed period of time.

Am I entitled to sick pay when on the bank?

Bank workers should contact the Staffing Solutions Team to advise of any sick leave. We will then ensure the relevant systems are updated for payroll. It is important to contact us once your sick leave ends, so we can make the necessary updates to our records.

Bank workers are not entitled to Occupational Sick Pay (OSP) but may qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). SSP entitlement is based on any eligible earnings in the previous 13 weeks, with each case calculated individually by our payroll team.

There is information on Gov.uk regarding any potential entitlement should you wish to look into this yourself for further information: Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) : Eligibility – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)