Nurses left millions of pounds out of pocket by pay blunders
SCOTLAND’S cash-strapped NHS is facing a backdated wages bill of millions of pounds after staff were incorrectly paid for several years.
Tens of thousands of nurses and other healthcare workers have been affected by the pay blunder – caused by health boards not introducing rule changes in 2008.
An estimated £20 million is still owed in parts of the country.
Some health boards, such as NHS Grampian and NHS Highland, are only now addressing the problem.
The Scottish Government is urging both bodies – which admit they do not know how many current and former staff are affected – to complete payments by April next year.
Irenee O’Neill, general secretary of the Independent Federation of Nursing Scotland, said: ‘The behaviour of these health boards is reprehensible and demonstrates a basic inability to expedite clear instruction, issued to all in 2008.’
The federation called for financial penalties to be imposed on boards still owing money but the Scottish Government deemed this ‘counterproductive to patient care’.
Mrs O’Neill said: ‘No action by the Scottish Government can only be described as negligent. It is little wonder the NHS is constantly being described as “in crisis”.’
Under Agenda for Change pay rules introduced in October 2008, all NHS staff – except doctors and senior managers – were meant to be paid ‘as at work’ when on leave. They were entitled to the extra payments they usually received, such as shift allowances for working anti-social hours.
NHS Forth Valley and NHS Borders implemented the policy by the deadline. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, with 38,000 staff, completed a review in April and has paid out £14 million.
NHS Lothian and NHS Ayrshire and Arran addressed backlogs recently, while NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Tayside have settled most claims, with the rest to be paid by the end of next month.
But NHS Grampian, NHS Highland and NHS Shetland – which employ nearly 30,000 people between them – are at an early stage in making payments, while ‘inconsistences’ mean some staff are still not being paid properly in NHS Western Isles and NHS Dumfries and Galloway.
Matt McLaughlin, head of health for union Unison Scotland, said: ‘This has been a long-running sore across the NHS. Some boards tackled this early on, others appear to have stuck their heads in the sand or tried to sidestep their obligations. These boards need to get their act together.’
The Scottish Government said: ‘We are assured health boards are working as quickly as possible to identify money due.’