Let more NHS staff work flexibly to help solve staffing crisis

NHS managers should do more to allow staff to work in flexible ways, including having more control over shift patterns or doing compressed hours*, says UNISON today (Wednesday). Data from a new UNISON survey** shows a significant proportion of healthcare workers are not being given the alternative work patterns they’ve asked for. The survey found two-thirds (65%) of women employed in healthcare across the UK who’ve asked for different work arrangements had their requests agreed in full. But more than one in five (22%) were unable to obtain flexible working. A further one in eight (13%) had their requests initially refused, but eventually found acceptable compromises. Health workers who took part in the survey included a woman who was refused changes to her work pattern despite the fact that her young daughter was diabetic and needed regular insulin injections. Another NHS employee who looked after her 99-year-old grandmother requested a change in a shift start time to 9pm, to enable her to put her relative to bed. But her managers insisted she start at 7pm. A more flexible approach could prove enough to persuade experienced, but jaded, staff to stay in the service and ensure the NHS can become a more attractive career option for would-be recruits, says UNISON. Flexible working reforms were introduced in the NHS in 2021 in response to negotiations between health unions and the government. And from this month, staff across all sectors of the economy can ask fo...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: News Press release 2024 National Health Conference flexible working NHS staff Source Type: news