Doctor gives 5 tips for NHS to 'prevent fatal haemorrhage of staff'

Only a couple of days ago the BBC were reporting that thousands of NHS staff across the UK are facing pay cuts because of a change in Covid sickness policy.

Analysis by BBC Panorama suggests that between 5,000 and 10,000 NHS workers could be off sick with long Covid.

Unions are accusing the government of failing to support health staff who worked during the coronavirus pandemic.

This is just one thing in an ever growing list of why the NHS is in crisis, people are leaving in droves and patients are not getting treatment when they expect.

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Doctor tips

Dr Matt Morgan took to Twitter to give some tips the NHS could adopt to prevent losing staff and sort out pay issues.

He tweeted: “After a year of working in Australia here are my top 5 things the NHS could replicate to help prevent a fatal haemorrhage of staff alongside pay restoration.”

After a year of working in Australia 🇦🇺, here are my top 5 things the NHS 🇬🇧could replicate to help prevent a fatal haemorrhage of staff alongside pay restoration 🧵#medtwitter #NHS
— Dr Matt Morgan (@dr_mattmorgan) January 31, 2023

– 2 week pay cycles
With frequent movement of NHS staff in training, pay errors are common and distressing. Having a shorter pay cycle allows these to be quickly captured and corrected. It may also allow easier financial planning for those on low incomes. 1/5
— Dr Matt Morgan (@dr_mattmorgan) January 31, 2023

– Up-front study leave
Rather than using slow, bureaucratic claim processes that reimburse in retrospect, Australia pays a study budget in your regular pay. This encourages professional development and staff can afford to pay for courses prospectively. 2/5
— Dr Matt Morgan (@dr_mattmorgan) January 31, 2023

– Link work to pay
The NHS uses complex formulae for out-of-hours payments. Australia links shifts to pay – work a Bank holiday one week, get paid more the next. This encourages flexibility, swaps, fairness and feelings of worth as work is linked to an outcome. 3/5
— Dr Matt Morgan (@dr_mattmorgan) January 31, 2023

– Tax breaks
Rather than punitive pension tax driving staff to retire/reduce, Australian healthcare staff have tax breaks. You "salary package" many aspects of life that support service from rent to groceries. This makes public service competitive against private industry. 4/5
— Dr Matt Morgan (@dr_mattmorgan) January 31, 2023

– Long service leave
Staff are given an extra 13 weeks leave every 7 years. Mini-retirements, extended breaks or using small amounts regularly helps reduce burnout, sickness rates and rewards commitment with more than a fake gold clock. It also helps retention in the sector. 5/5
— Dr Matt Morgan (@dr_mattmorgan) January 31, 2023

If you like what he said you can buy his book here.

Tags: NHS