The NHS worker at North Cumbria’s hospitals who has asked to remain anonymous said: “I’m a staff member and a lot of our staff rely on over time just to make ends meet.
“The overtime shifts we’ve picked up will now be put down as bank so it’s less pay.”
Bank staff are individuals with clinical skills who work shifts on an ad hoc basis, often retired clinicians.
The NCIC staff member said: “It’s not always about the money, it’s the patient safety, you have to have certain core skills to look after patients.
The Cumberland Infirmary. (Image: Newsquest)
“A lot of staff members have different cores skills depending on which department you’re in, you’ve got to know the equipment, where you’re going, what you’re doing.”
NHS leaders at NCIC and trusts across the country are operating a ‘bank first’ policy.
The member of NCIC staff fears that this will see members of staff on the bank given extra shifts over full time members of staff who have the particular core skills for care in that department.
“I just think it’s unfair, we’ve all picked up extra shifts because we’ve got those core skills,” as well as the passion for patient care, she said.
She said that members of staff in her department “can do 60 hours a week,” including overtime, “to survive.”
“To keep your gas and electric on” she said, “because the cost of living’s so high.”
When asked about the financial challenges NCIC faces, she pointed out that the trust is using high paid agency staff.
The Cumberland Infirmary. (Image: Newsquest)
NCIC reported a financial deficit of £34.7 million in the 2024/25 financial year while spending on agency staff at West Cumberland Hospital rose by 6.62 per cent to £1,819,809.
The NHS worker said: “I can go even higher to the top management, do they really need so many top managers?”
An NHS Rich List, produced by the Taxpayers Alliance recently revealed that North Cumbria’s Executive Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer are paid more than the Prime Minister.
Giving an insight into what staff go through on a daily basis, the NCIC staff member told Newsquest Cumbria that they endure racism and verbal abuse and support patients’ families who are facing bereavement.
But she said: “The trust doesn’t seem to back you up and you’re there for the patients.”
A spokesperson for North Cumbria Integrated Care (NCIC) said: “The ‘bank first’ approach to filling vacant shifts is used across the NHS and makes use of an internal pool of bank workers before turning to more expensive methods, including using external recruitment agencies and offering overtime.
“The use of expensive agency workers is being phased out,” they said while bank workers “provide an opportunity to fill vacant shifts that offer best value for NHS resources, they are properly inducted and trained and are valuable members of our team.”
The trust spokesperson said: “Staff can sign up for a bank contract if they would like to do additional work and overtime can be offered as a last resort where shifts are not covered.
“It is concerning to hear that colleagues are struggling financially and we encourage any of our colleagues to reach out to their line manager or to access the financial wellbeing resources available on our staff website.”
NHS Employers, sets out the pay rates, terms and conditions for staff across the country.
It states that overtime on a Saturday, or any day between the hours of 8pm and 6am, has previously brought NHS staff their usual pay, plus an unsociable hours enhancement of 47 per cent.
Band one staff with a normal hourly rate of £12.92 would therefore make £151.94 on an eight-hour Saturday overtime shift before tax deductions.
At the normal rate, eight hours pays £103.36, meaning the Saturday enhancement adds £48.58.
A band one bank worker will receive £103.36, plus a 12.07 per cent uplift for annual leave accrual.
This totals £115.84, leaving them £36.10 below the amount previously paid as overtime.
On Sundays and public bank holidays, the gap widens as overtime on those days pays the usual rate plus an additional 94 per cent – almost double time.