THERE are a variety of workers in the NHS. Many are workers faced with caring for patients, some work behind the scenes and some are both — depending on the task. But all members of NHS staff are working with an NHS that is slowly being slashed to pieces, pieces which are only clinging together by the goodwill of the staff.

Most workers in the NHS in England have not had a proper pay rise in four years.

The only way NHS workers get a proper pay rise is by getting a promotion.

Many workers have actually had their pay cut because their job has been downgraded and while some are lucky enough to have their union negotiate pay protection, every foundation trust is trying to cut this protection back or eliminate altogether it if possible.

Many workers have also had a cut in allowances so for the staff who work in the community and need to drive to patients, having their mileage allowance slashed means they are forced to pay to do the travelling their job requires. This is also the plight of many care workers who do not work for the NHS.

So, many NHS workers will start their day stressed due to inadequate pay and all the problems that brings.

Once at work, other problems start.

Newly announced government initiatives always cause more work. For example, the pledge to prioritise mental health by the Liberal Democrats. But how is this going to happen?

More patients can only be seen if there are more psychiatrists, mental health nurses, receptionists, medical secretaries and buildings to house them all. This can happen if there is planning but the proper planning for future needs in the NHS is long gone.

So workers already in the NHS are asked to do more for the same money.

People feel stressed and as they look to the future they just see this being a constant.

The immediate expansion, if it happens, will mean more skilled workers are recruited from other countries, so depleting the medical services in those countries and harming some of the most vulnerable people.

The expansion will also be managed by opening services for seven days a week. This sounds great but there are problems.

A service open seven days a week can not have all of the staff in for seven days a week. So patients will not be able to see the worker they want when they just turn up.

Many workers will be forced to work weekends when they do not want to and this will affect their relaxation time and make them more tired and stressed.

The foundation trusts to pay for this will, with the backing of Monitor and NHS England, try to change Agenda for Change — the national terms and conditions of NHS staff who are not doctors. Agenda for Change stipulates the pay rates for working unsociable hours at night and weekends and bank holidays.

Therefore a seven-day opening for the NHS will mean workers facing cuts to their terms and conditions unless there is a massive injection of real money into the NHS.

Most NHS workers dread political announcements on the NHS because every initiative will cost money to implement but rarely is it accompanied by actual cash to do this.

In their workplace many staff face different problems. All workers should be able to go to work without the threat of verbal or physical assault, however, for many NHS staff such behaviour can be a daily reality.

Most staff understand the frustration and tensions of ill people and so ignore the swearing at the “system.”
But being sworn at, spat at and worse are daily realities for many staff at all levels of the service.

While staff are encouraged to report such behaviour this takes time and is more work.

Some workers who are injured at work also face different problems. They are managed under the sickness policy by every trust. So a worker seriously injured and off work for over six months will go on half pay.

How this action is meant to aid recovery has never been explained. Now being injured in the line of work you might expect the employer to assist workers to recover and ensure they have sufficient money to live on.

The reality is that it is the unions and their stewards that protect their members from a management which makes the caring face of the NHS a sad joke.

Every NHS worker I know works more than their hours. This is why during the pay dispute virtually every union involved was encouraging members to work their hours. The NHS would stop if NHS staff were not generous in doing this. 

The constant over-working means workers are often tired and tired workers can make mistakes.

Writing this I am starting to depress myself. Let’s finish on a positive note.

Most staff in the NHS work there because they like their jobs and they want to make people’s health better if possible.

If you want to help NHS staff, let’s have some real joined-up planning so that services can be improved with newly qualified professionals.

A major change in the NHS takes years to implement and needs planning for. If you want motivated NHS staff, give us a proper pay rise that means we don’t have to work extra shifts or second jobs.

The biggest asset of the NHS is its staff and it would be great if when we went to work we felt valued.

A real NHS worker somewhere in England