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Pay us for the extra hour on shift when clocks go back, say nurses

Nursing Standard’s poll of readers on Twitter and Instagram found an overwhelming majority of nurses say they should be paid for the extra hour of work

Nursing Standard’s poll of readers on Twitter and Instagram found an overwhelming majority of nurses say they should be paid for the extra hour of work

Nursing Standard’s poll of readers on Twitter and Instagram found an overwhelming majority of nurses say they should be paid for the extra hour’s work
Picture: iStock

Are you a nurse working a night shift on Saturday? The end of daylight savings means the clocks go back overnight, but while that means an extra hour in bed for some, it also means an extra hour on shift for healthcare workers.

Many nurses say they will not be getting any extra cash for working the additional hour

So, it comes as no surprise that the majority of nurses think they should get paid for that hour. Nursing Standard took to social media to ask our readers what they think of the prospect of working an hour unpaid, needless to say many agreed it was unacceptable.

A poll of our readers on our Instagram had 750 responses, with 93% agreeing they should be paid for the extra hour. Meanwhile, some 402 nurses responded to a question on whether they are getting paid for the hour, with 86% saying they would not be seeing any extra cash for the extra hour worked.

Over on our Twitter page 98% of the 832 agreed they should get paid for additional hour, while 2% disagreed.

The clocks going back marks the official end of daylight savings and British Summer Time and occurs on the last Sunday of October. This year, the clocks will go back at 2am on Sunday, 30 October. Many of us relish the extra hour in bed on Sunday morning, but for nurses it does not just result in an extra hour of work, it also has a knock-on effect on paperwork.

One London nurse, who wanted to stay anonymous, said she had purposely chosen not to work this weekend because she ‘already works enough hours for free’.

‘Ridiculous expectation’ to work 13.5-hour shift and not get paid for it, says nurse

‘I genuinely think it’s an absolute p***-take. I’ve worked it once because I forgot to request it off and it was horrible,’ she told Nursing Standard.

‘Firstly, it messes up all your documentation since you have two 1ams on everything, but it’s also a ridiculous expectation that you work a 13.5-hour shift and aren’t compensated for it. It’s an absolute joke.’

But other nurses suggested that the shifts even out if you work a night shift when the clocks go forward in March – meaning they work an hour less. But, of course, that only equals out if a nurse works both shifts.

One nurse replied on Instagram: ‘Those that work the extra shift when you lose an hour would lose that hour’s pay. Ideally if you work one, you’d work the other to even it out.’

According to NHS Employers, staff working shifts are paid for the hours of the shift. For example, a nurse working 12am to 8am would get paid for those eight hours, but when the clocks go back the shift is still classed as 12am to 8am despite it being a 9-hour shift. There does not appear to be any official guidance for NHS organisations about paying staff for the extra hour.

The RCN declined a request for comment.


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