To: Brendan Brown - Chief Executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust
PAY FAIR FOR PATIENT CARE- Perioperative Assistants Deserve Parity
Theatre Assistants employed at Leeds Teaching hospitals Trust give invaluable care to some of Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust (LTHT) most vulnerable residents – but for years they’ve been undervalued and underpaid by your trust.
Support staff at the Trust are employed on Band 2 and, as such, should only undertake personal care such as assisting patients with feeding, toileting and bathing. However a survey of a hundred staff found that the vast majority of theatre assistants are regularly and routinely undertaking clinical duties above their pay grade which should be paid at least Band 3. Duties include things such as counting in swabs, assisting with diathermy and ensuring equipment is set up and used in a sterile manner.
The difference between Band 2 and Band 3 NHS pay is nearly £2,000 per year – it is absolutely outrageous that dedicated staff, who already went above and beyond during the pandemic, are being systematically underpaid for the work they do.
Healthcare Assistants in other NHS Trusts across the Yorkshire and Humberside have come together in their trade union, UNISON, to win Band 3 and secure back-pay to reward and recognise the years they’ve been undertaking clinical duties.
In your previous trust, Calderdale and Huddersfield, theatre assistants were back paid until September 2020. Similarly HCA's were recognised at LTHT as doing band 3 clinical duties and were backpaid until April 2021. Are theatre assistant workers at LTHT worth any less?
As concerned residents of Leeds, we call on the Trust to show your workers the respect they deserve by paying them appropriately for the work they do and rewarding the years they’ve worked above their pay band by paying back-pay to 1 April 2021 as an absolute minimum.
Support staff at the Trust are employed on Band 2 and, as such, should only undertake personal care such as assisting patients with feeding, toileting and bathing. However a survey of a hundred staff found that the vast majority of theatre assistants are regularly and routinely undertaking clinical duties above their pay grade which should be paid at least Band 3. Duties include things such as counting in swabs, assisting with diathermy and ensuring equipment is set up and used in a sterile manner.
The difference between Band 2 and Band 3 NHS pay is nearly £2,000 per year – it is absolutely outrageous that dedicated staff, who already went above and beyond during the pandemic, are being systematically underpaid for the work they do.
Healthcare Assistants in other NHS Trusts across the Yorkshire and Humberside have come together in their trade union, UNISON, to win Band 3 and secure back-pay to reward and recognise the years they’ve been undertaking clinical duties.
In your previous trust, Calderdale and Huddersfield, theatre assistants were back paid until September 2020. Similarly HCA's were recognised at LTHT as doing band 3 clinical duties and were backpaid until April 2021. Are theatre assistant workers at LTHT worth any less?
As concerned residents of Leeds, we call on the Trust to show your workers the respect they deserve by paying them appropriately for the work they do and rewarding the years they’ve worked above their pay band by paying back-pay to 1 April 2021 as an absolute minimum.
Why is this important?
Theatre assistants at Leeds Teaching Hospital trust have been working above their paygrade for years. We are calling on the trust to pay them what they deserve.
