Extra rewards for becoming one of our Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent health and care winter reserves

Nurses, therapists and other health professionals in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent who are considering working extra hours over the winter period can be part of an award-winning reserves programme.

Reservists are able to pick-and-choose when and where they work which is better for their family life, and also comes with more benefits like ‘escalated bank rates of pay’ that are more competitive than you might imagine.

Heather Johnstone, Chief Nurse of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB), said: “Many nurses and other health professionals choose to work through agencies even though they lose the benefits of direct NHS employment. This is often because being able to pick-and-choose shifts and this works better for family life and other commitments.

For the NHS, employing agency staff can be useful to help fill gaps in rotas, and while they are highly valued it is expensive. This programme cuts out the intermediary, and to help staff the additional wards this winter, we are now offering escalated rates that we feel are competitive.

Heather continues: “We believe this could be very attractive to those looking for extra shifts or to people who have recently retired but would now like to work some reduced hours to suit their circumstances.

“It may also suit some people who have jobs in the private health sector and who want to work extra hours.

 “There are a wide variety of posts and locations and we want to be as flexible as possible in the way we fill them.

The Staffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent ICS People Programme this week won the HPMA Capsticks award for innovation in HR for this programme, being praised by judges for providing a new solution to solving the decline in workers in the care sector.

Mish Irvine, Director of the People Programme at the ICS, said: “We are so proud of our Reservist programme and to have won this award.  

“Our success is all because of the effective partnership working with both Stoke-On-Trent City Council and Staffordshire County Council to create cross sector, flexible roles.   

To find out more about HPMA and the awards click here.

To learn more about the winter reserve’s listen to our latest podcast here.

For more information, visit the ICS Careers and Education page.

Contact Information

NHS Midlands and Lancashire CSU Media Team

0333 150 1602

mediacsu@nhs.net