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Where will I go? Home of course 'Thailand' either in Udon or Pran Buri

Umish, how come you're responding to Sean ... yet questioning Neil?

How come you didn't already know that Neil's home is in Thailand? Don't you pay attention to other people's posts?

Indeed, why do you persist in baiting Neil?

Where's your home, Umish?

For my own part ... I am in England because that's where I was born, and (regrettably) I have no other place to go.

Meanwhile, back at the topic:-


More like "making the best of a bad job", Mate!

Good Morning Geoff

I would agree that in comparison to the Private Sector, NHS staffs that perform an equivalent role are on better terms and conditions, and I would wish that the Private Sector employed staff could receive the same benefits.

It’s not about moaning, and that we don’t know how well off we are. It’s about ensuring that hard fought for terms and conditions are not adversely affected.

AFC had its faults but it was a hell of a lot better than the dreaded "Hayes Evaluation". Both management and staff side signed up to the AFC principles, and by and large it worked.
I don’t wish to see the hard work and personal efforts of a lot of individuals come to nought.

Yes in comparison, we here are are "well off", and I acknowledge current financial pressures.

Happy staff who feel they are valued, work well, (on that I hope we can all agree).

Value takes on different forms for different people. Some prefer the "well done, thanks for a great effort" approach, and some prefer that "you are of value" to be more tangible (£££) (nothing the matter with that at all), praise though rewarding, does not pay the bills.

If you’re prime motivation is a leaning towards the philanthropic, fine. But if you’re prime motivation is keeping a roof over your head and feeding the kids, that's okay by me as well

We live in an imperfect world, and we must strive to make the best of a bad situation. Its not about greed or money grubbing, it’s about recognition of skills, and a fair wage.

Mornin' Sean


But surely y'all are already getting all that. So what's the problem?

The problem is ensuring that we continue to do so, and I intend to lobby to maintain the status quo for my staff.

I am pleased to note that at least some Trusts are continuing to advertise a fair and equitable wage for a senior position. Good Morning, Garrith, Keep up the Good Work.

So it’s not just me, who wants to attract the best......

Personally, I find the wages in the NHS for hands on service technicians to be very poor with respect to the Private Industry. Albeit, I'm comparing it to service engineering in a different discipline. If you are a relative newcomer to the NHS there are just so many increments before getting a decent wage. This may be OK if young but not so good if towards the end of your working life.

Are you a wind-up merchant, Barney? How about defining what you mean by a "decent wage" (and don't forget security of employment, only 37 hours a week, flexible working practices and - oh yes - a pension at the end of it)!

Biomed (in the UK, at least) is not really about making money, is it? OK, I know a few blokes who have struggled on for many years carrying their own biomed business in the much-beloved Private Sector. But it's not easy (ask Jandre), and in monetary terms at least, probably not worth the craic. You often get let down by your blokes (the techs), you know.

I also know blokes who have lost everything (their money, their house, their marriage ... their health even). Are you (or many others) "up" for that sort of risk?

But I suspect that most biomeds don't want all that hard work, hassle, worry and grief. Most are happy enough doing the sort of work they enjoy, within a comfortable framework (the NHS, for example). There's nothing wrong with that. But you have to compare like for like. Rushing around the country as a "service engineer" is not what NHS biomeds do, is it?

Also, looking at matters objectively, why should an older guy expect more? I don't know about you, but personally speaking I was undoubtedly better (read, more employable) in most measurable ways in my late twenties than I am now ... er, many years later!

Not these days unfortunately. Posts frozen and then lost seem to be the order of the day.
No compulsory redundancies .....yet. But the threat is there with the next round of cuts.
Robert

"Frozen posts" sound pretty secure to me, Robert. Perhaps "ghost posts" would be a better term.

They are not techs out of a job are they, but simply posts left unfilled.

We've heard all this before, Mate. Just take a trip back through similar threads on this website.

Scare mongering?

OK ... let's have another poll (we haven't had one for a while, after all) ... how many NHS techs are also Daily Mail readers?

By my reckoning: 4 posts frozen then lost so far plus three posts created on paper when extra work was taken on and never filled as they had to be given up as a cost cutting measure.

It is hard to keep track of numbers; a person leaves then a while later you realise the post has not been advertised - but it usually takes a bit of time in normal circumstances - and then you are told that it will never be advertised. If this happens over a few years you loose track of exactly which post has been filled and which has not.

I wish it was scare mongering.
Robert