Unsocial hours – inaccurate reporting

A national newspaper’s claims that there were plans to change the way unsocial hours in the ambulance service are paid are simply not accurate. Having reviewed the content of the article, it would appear that the paper has taken the Department of Health (DH) submission to the Pay Review Body on how to implement seven day services, which ambulance services already provide of course, and drawn inaccurate conclusions that are deeply unhelpful and misleading. 

It is important to note that the DH submission does not recommend changes to the ambulance services’ unsocial hours arrangements.  Also, the DH submission was not on pay for next year, it was responding to the invitation to submit evidence on seven day services.  The article is written as though the DH has published a policy document which contains a statement of intent which is not the case. 

The full document is available on the NHS Employers website at: http://www.nhsemployers.org/case-studies-and-resources/2015/01/nhse-submission-prb.

Published 15th January 2015