Employment Issues
Although you apply to a Foundation School and are
accepted onto a programme you are in fact employed directly by the
NHS trust and not the Foundation School. The Foundation school
oversees the training that you will receive but for issues
surrounding:
- Pay
- Banding
- Rotas
- Accommodation
These will be dealt with at local level by the
employing trust.
Hours
Since 1991 there have been measures introduced
to improve doctors in training working conditions. This was laid
out in the New Deal. Essentially the New Deal legislation limited
the hours that junior doctors could work. This was limited to 48
hours per week from August 2009
European working time directive
This piece of European Legislation from the Council of Europe
was introduced to protect the Health and Safety of workers in the
European Union. This will have an impact an all grades of staff
within the NHS and you should become aware of the implications of
the EWTD. It lays down minimum requirements covering working hours,
rest periods, annual leave and has provision for those who work on
night shift patterns.
Further information can be found on the following websites:
http://bma.org.uk/
http://www.nhsemployers.org/
http://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/
http://www.aomrc.org.uk/
Salary
Junior Doctors are paid on national pay scales which are
reviewed each year by the Doctors and Dentists
Review Body (DDRB). As a Foundation Doctor you will be paid at
the national level unless you are informed of any variation to this
by your employing trust.
Further details on employment issues can be found on the
NHS Employers
website.