NHS Banding

Do you get to choose your banding/ the hours and times you want to work

haha good god no. You work where and when they tell you.

You do have an element of choice in that you will apply to a list of 'deaneries' i.e. locations (e.g. South London, Scotland etc). Most people get into one of their top 5 choices but not everyone. After that, you will be asked to choose from a more specific list of jobs, most commonly a stretch of 6 jobs lasting 2 years. Almost all choices will have 1 or 2 jobs you hate and will get no use from, but you have to do it anyway. Then once that is sorted, you will be given a rota and that is what you work, no further choice. You do get to choose when to take annual leave as that's a legal requirement. However, on many rotas the times you are allowed to take annual leave is very restricted.

The bigger choice comes when it comes to speciality training. You can choose specialities known to run their trainees into the ground e.g. many medical specialities, or you can choose something with better work life balance, like psychiatry or dermatology!

There is a bit of flexibility in the system, in that things like maternity leave will be accommodation (again, a legal requirement!) and under some circumstances you can go part time, but other than that the NHS is a very inflexible employer.

Are there any experiences you'd mind sharing? Like what specialities did you enjoy?

Furthermore, do we all have to work on call then and isn't this system unfair as people will earn varying amounts through no choice of their own?

Also without banding, is there no scope above the basic salary?

That's going to vary individual to individual. However, some specialities are well known for being lower intensity, less hours and less out of hours work than others. You will experience this through med schools and FY years.



You'd rather people were paid the same even though some do more hours than others?

You are paid for what you do, broadly. That seems fair to me.




There is no banding but you get paid more for doing more hours and more antisocial hours.

It is detailed here if you really want to know.

https://www.bma.org.uk/-/media/files/pdfs/working%20for%20change/contract%20negotiations%202015/2016/junior-doctors-contract-tables-of-pay-june-2016.pdf

As already explained, your rota is pre-determined with the basic hours being 40/week Mon-Fri 9-5. Hours beyond this earn you additional hourly rates, with the more antisocial hours being at enhanced rates.

You can locum to your hearts content, with rates generally ranging from £25-60/hr expending on your grade, the shift, the notice and how desperate the trust is.

You can opt out of the EWTD and have no restriction on your hours, but if you make a mistake, don’t be surprised if you overworking is used against you. The GMC expects you to take adequate breaks to ensure you are rested.

Also I don’t know how healthy it is to cram your life with locum work. I know a guy who would do 20 night shifts in a row and made obscene amounts of money. Unsurprisingly he collapsed on shift and had to be admitted.

It’s not that pay is bad anyway. I’m in core training, work 48hrs a week (average) and am on £48k.

Do you do much locum work? Also I'm just a little concerned after tax as the fee then becomes small. Do you know anyone who's opted out of the EWTD? You mention a guy who did 20 night shifts in a row, how much was he earning roughly and what trouble did he get in? I feel his example is a little excessive, but how did he end up with so much work, especially during the night? And also do you know when private work becomes available? I assume it's once you become a consultant? Is this easy to obtain?
Thanks a lot for your response, is your 48k/year as a CT1 or CT3+?