Posted 11 October 2022 - 13:36
Posted 11 October 2022 - 13:36
News
Nap pods and posh coffee: nurses challenge trust over TikTok clip
Barts Health NHS Trust’s video of its offices for non-clinical staff highlights contrast with conditions for ward staff amid NHS pressures and cost of living crisis, nurses say on social media
Barts Health NHS Trust’s video of its offices for non-clinical staff highlights contrast with conditions for ward staff amid NHS pressures and cost of living crisis, nurses say on social media
A London trust has come under fire for posting a video of its offices for non-clinical staff – complete with wellness rooms and a luxury coffee machine – on social media.
Nurses and other clinical staff decribed the video from Barts Health NHS Trust as ‘disappointing’ and a ‘brutal breakdown’ of the contrasting working conditions for management and clinical staff.
‘Insensitive’ TikTok clip emphasises contrasting working conditions
The video, posted on TikTok and Instagram at the weekend, showed well-being rooms ‘on each floor’ decked out with beanbags, a Sage Barista Touch coffee machine and an ‘abundance’ of snacks. The trust said it was designed to boost recruitment into office-based roles.
Many were quick to suggest the video, which has now been taken down, was insensitive given the current economic circumstances facing many hospital staff, including nurses, who are currently being balloted on strike action over poor pay.
Others pointed out the cost of a Sage Barista Touch coffee machine, at more than £1,000.
Trust apologises: ‘We still have a long way to go’
The trust later apologised for the video, admitting on Twitter that it ‘got this wrong’.
A spokesperson for the trust said: ‘We’re sorry for the offence caused, have deleted the video and will look for other ways to promote our trust as a place to work. Thanks to Barts Charity, we have improved well-being facilities for all staff in our hospitals, including dedicated well-being hubs, refurbished rest rooms, new lockers and bike racks, but we know we still have a long way to go.’
It comes a week after the trust was heavily criticised for cutting bank nurses' pay without notice.
Divisive clip follows recent pay cuts for bank staff
Nurses took to social media claiming some specialist bank staff had seen their pay cut by up to £10 an hour. The trust confirmed to Nursing Standard that it was cutting the temporary enhanced day rate from £28 per hour to £25.66 per hour – a drop of £2.34 – to bring bank staff payments in line with other areas, but that it had not spoken to a ‘minority of specialist staff’ about the pay cut.
A trust spokesperson said it has invested about £4 million a year to increase the bank rate card in line with an NHS agreement to ‘harmonise’ temporary pay rates across London by removing local pay differences and inequities between staff groups.
It added that all NHS providers have signed up to the deal, to reduce the ‘long-standing disparity’ between bank rates and agency pay. The new deal removes the enhanced payment, and those no longer eligible for these rates will be paid at the top of the band 6 specialist rate (£25.66) instead – which for some is around 19% higher than the previous standard rate.
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