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COVID-19 PPE

To all our valued agency staff and front line workers.

During these unprecedented times we cannot be more proud and grateful for your hard work and commitment and care provided to patients and their families.

Your efforts and commitment have had a huge impact on our country and its residence for which we all will never forget. However your health and well being is always our first priority.

Nursing Personnel has gone through great efforts to ensure that All Trusts are providing the necessary PPE for your protection in all hospital settings where necessary.

We are strictly following the New Government guidance on PPE.

The new PPE government guidance specifies precise PPE requirements for healthcare workers in secondary care clinical contexts and primary, outpatient and community care settings. All healthcare providers should be following these guidelines and standards.

Please be aware that we are always at hand to ensure that all PPE are available and at hand when you commence work. Should you have any concerns please feel free to contact us.

We are always available on 033 3043 6779 / 07748636933 or you can reach us on cs@medicpp.co.uk

 

COVID-19 SSP

COVID-19 SSP – One of the most commonly asked questions by healthcare staff is what happens if I get COVID-19 or have to self isolate if I show the COVID-19 symptoms. What is my position in relation to COVID-19 SSP, sick pay, or statutory sick pay?

The below information is accurate at the 27th of March 2020 and may be subject to change.

PAYE and Umbrella Agency Workers

Under the new guidelines SSP ( statutory sick pay) is payable at £94.25 per week so long as there is qualifying earnings. Qualifying earnings are average earnings of £118.00 per week over the previous 6 weeks from the last time you were paid. SSP can be paid for up to 28 weeks. SSP can be paid from 13th March 2020 if someone is self-isolating because of COVID-19. This includes  individuals who are caring for people who are self-isolating in the same household.

SSP is now paid from day 1 of sickness or self-isolating caused by COVID-19

From   20th March 2020 those who have COVID-19 or are advised to self-isolate will be able to obtain an ‘isolation note’ by visiting NHS 111 by clicking here and completing the form which then needs to be sent to payroll@medicpp.co.uk. The SSP will be paid by your umbrella company or employer if you qualify.

Agency Workers working outside IR35 through their limited company.

Any agency worker working outside IR35 will be self employed through their limited company. They are advised to contact their professional accountant re their entitlement to SSP.

The COVID-19 pandemic guidance is changing daily and we will keep the information updated as soon as possible.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Important Information

Updated Guidance Tuesday 17th March 2020

 

All healthcare staff should keep themselves updated on the Coronavirus outbreak across the UK.  Links to the latest government advice is below.

What is the Coronavirus?

Coronaviruses (COVID 19) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. This virus is zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness caused by a new virus.

What are the common signs and symptoms?

Respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

How does the Coronavirus Spread?

The virus spreads from person-to-person.

The virus is most likely spread through close contact with an infectious person contact with droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze, touching objects or surfaces (like doorknobs or tables) that have cough or sneeze droplets from an infected person, and then touching your mouth or face.

Prevention  

When working with our clients standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing. Carry hand sanitisers and tissues on your person.

Treatment

There is no vaccine for coronavirus at the moment, but medical care can treat most of the symptoms. Antibiotics do not work on viruses.

 

Important Latest Guidance Updates and Information

Below are a number of important links to the latest guidance on COVID-19. All agency healthcare workers should ensure they read all of the below guidance to ensure you are fully up to date with the latest guidance. As guidance is updated we will re post this guidance on this web page so please check this regularly. Nursing Personnel will also communicate any specific hospital or Trust guidance to agency workers as we receive it.

 

For the latest government and department of health advice and information on Coronavirus click here

For the latest information and recommendations for agency nurses and agency healthcare workers please click here

Guidance for Healthcare Workers who have a diagnosed case of COVID-19 within their facility click here

First Responders guidance and others in close contact with symptomatic people with potential COVID-19 click here.

For the latest government information and guidance on Infection Control click here

For those individuals who are at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus (COVID-19) to be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures. For the latest guidance on Social Distancing click here

Nursing Personnel Smart Phone App

Nursing Personnel Smart Phone App

Nursing Personnel are delighted to release the new and improved Nursing Personnel smart phone App. The Nursing Personnel App has the new facility for agency workers to get their time sheets signed electronically by a hospital ward manager thus eliminating the need to print paper time sheets. This can be used in hospitals that require timesheets to be authorised by the ward managers. It cannot be used where hospitals are using their own electronic timesheet system.
This is part of Nursing Personnel’s green commitment to the environment by reducing the need to print paper where possible. The App has full electronic traceability of mobile numbers and IP addresses to ensure full tractability of electronic signatures.
The App also allows agency workers to view live available work, book/request work, update availability, view booked shifts, select hospital and ward preferences and view compliance’s.

The App is compatible with most smart phones including Iphones and Android devices.

Demo

To view the full demo video of the App click here where all the functionality is demonstrated.
To ensure you are using the latest version of the MPP App make sure and download the latest version of the MPP App from the App Store or Google Play. Download the latest version of the Iphone App or for Android App.

Agency Theatre Nurses and Agency ODPs Surge in Demand

Nursing Personnel are recruiting agency theatre nurses and agency ODPs (operating department practitioners) for private hospitals across the UK. The increase in demand is a result of increased waiting lists in NHS hospitals.

Agency Theatre Nurses and Agency ODPs Surge in Demand in Private Sector due to Pension Dispute with NHS Doctors

The problem is a direct result of NHS doctors, consultants and surgeons refusing to do overtime in a dispute over pensions. As a result of the pension dispute doctors by working overtime to help clear waiting lists face huge tax bills and most of the money earned in overtime will go in tax. One consultant estimates the tax bill could be £ 80,000.

Some hospitals have reported cancer scans are being delayed by six weeks, radiology turnaround times are gone form weeks to months. Patients are turning up in A&E with severe pain as a result of operations being cancelled or delayed.

Private Hospitals Increased Theatre Demand.

On the other hand private hospitals seem to be picking up some of the work that the NHS cannot schedule due to the dispute. There is now an increase in demand for agency theatre nurses and agency OPDs as some private hospitals are seeing a surge in demand.

Another worry is, if this issue is not resoled many top doctors and consultants may quit the NHS for better paid jobs in other countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The pay is better and the tax is less taxing.

There have been reports of many locum doctors, agency theatre nurses and agency ODPSs leaving the NHS as a result of the 2017 IR35 tax rules. Since these rules came into effect many agency theatre nurses, agency ODPs, and locums have been forced onto payroll and deemed employed without employment rights. In many cases they should be deemed self -employed.

The DOH have said they will look at possible solutions and Matt Hancock has said the problem will be fixed by the new tax year. However in the meantime waiting lists are expected to increase and services cut back.

Nursing Personnel are working with a number of private healthcare organisations helping to staff operating theatres across the UK. If you are an agency theatre nurse or agency ODP look for work contact Nursing Personnel by registering on- line here and we can update you on the theatre jobs we have on offer.

Agency Nurses Pay and IR35 Rules in the Private Sector ( Large & Medium Sized Companies)

Agency Nurses Pay & IR35 in the Private Sector

Last week HMRC announced its plans to push ahead and roll out the IR35 off payroll rules into the private sector from April 2020. These rules came into the public sector in April 2017 and have had a huge impact on agency nurses pay and agency healthcare professionals pay.

 

IR35 Rules

Pre April 2017 contractors working through their personal service companies could decide if the IR35 rules applied to them and make their own IR35 status decision. Post April 2017 the new rules moved the IR35 decision away from the contractor to the PSB ( Public Sector Body). This for most agency nurses and healthcare workers means the NHS decides if a healthcare worker falls inside IR35 meaning tax and national insurance must be deducted at source when the agency worker is paid. This in turn has had a huge impact on agency nurses pay in the public sector.

 

To aid the IR35 decision making process HMRC released an online tool called CEST ( check employment status tool). There has been wide spread criticism of this tool as it does not take into account all relevant scenarios, is far to simplistic or align with current tax case law. The tool in many cases is unable to make an IR35 status decision.

As a result of CEST not being fit for purposes many agency workers have been forced onto payroll and deemed inside IR35 when in fact they could be genuinely be self employed and fall outside IR35.

So how do the proposed April 2020 rules effect agency nurses pay and healthcare workers pay  in the private sector?

If the IR35 rules are rolled out as planned into the private sector any agency nurse or healthcare worker working for a private company ( medium or large in size ) through their PSC ( personal service company) will have their tax status decided by the end client. The contractor or agency nurse will no longer be able to make their own IR35 status decision. This will mirror what is now happening in the public sector since April 2017.

 

Will the agency worker working in the private sector be able to challenge the end clients decision?

This is currently one of the major issues with the public sector and with the proposed new rules. Under the proposed plan the contractor will  have to receive an IR35 status decision and the reasoning behind the decision. The contractor may challenge the decision and the end client will have 45 days to reply. The issues is there is no appeal process if the contractor is still not satisfied with the end result or they feel the incorrect IR35 tax status has been determined. There is also a worry that end clients in order to avoid any potential tax risk or tax exposure they will blanket contractors inside IR35 forcing them into an employment status without any employment rights. Nursing Personnel has seen this happen in the public sector.

If you are working for a private medium or large company as an agency nurse or agency healthcare worker and being paid through your PSC  this proposed new legislation could have a high impact on your business and earnings. You would be advised to take professional advice from your account or tax adviser. If the proposed legislation is passed the new rules will have a big impact on your earnings and the way you are currently being paid.

 

For more information on the new rules visit the government website by clicking here.

 

Agency Nurse Mandatory Training

One of the questions that is constantly asked by agency nurse and healthcare workers is can Nursing Personnel accept my agency nurse mandatory training certificates from another agency or another healthcare provider? This post hopefully will explain and answer all your questions about agency nurse’s mandatory training including online training and face to face training.

The first thing to understand is NHS Framework agencies have to comply with NHS Framework rules around mandatory training, and the agency will have to provide to evidence to NHS auditors that healthcare workers have the required training certificates on their compliance file.

All training must be in line with the Skills for Health Core Skills Training Framework. A full list of certified training companies are available here. Nursing Personnel recommend Train Healthcare as they are certified by Skills for Health as fully compliant with the Core Skills Training Framework.

 

Can Nursing Personnel Accept Agency Nurse Mandatory Training Certs From Another Agency or Training Provider?

In order for Nursing Personnel to accept agency nurse mandatory training from another training provider (eg. another agencies internal training) that is not listed on the Skills for Health website as above we have to hold on file a certified signed document from the training provider confirming their training is aligned to the Core Skills Training Framework. Many agencies or training providers will not sign or provide this certified document and as a result we cannot accept the training certificate, as the quality and content of the training is not certified as aligned to the Core Skills Training Framework. Oddly enough even some NHS Trusts do not have their training aligned. The document we need signed to confirm the training is aligned to the Core Skills Training Framework is available here. As you can see this is a very detailed document and many companies do not want to complete this.

 

Agency Nurse Face to Face Mandatory Training

Face to face agency nurse mandatory raining, including basic life support and manual handling must be carried out face to face and cannot be delivered online. This training must be carried out within the last 12 months and refresher course must be done annually. The training must be to a level 2 standard. Level 3 cannot be accepted as some of the training content in Level 2 is not covered in Level 3 and this is a requirement by the NHS agency Framework operators.

 

Agency Nurse On-Line Training

Some of the mandatory training subjects and topics can be completed on- line. Again we will need to have on file certificates listing the subjects covered as required by the framework agreements. Examples include:

  • RIDROR
  • COSHH
  • Complaint Handling, Equality & Diversity, Awareness of Mental Health
  • Dementia & Learning Disability
  • Food Hygiene & Safety
  • PSTS/Conflict Management
  • Fire Safety
  • Health & Safety
  • Handling Information & Information Governance
  • Infection Prevention and Control
  • Lone Worker
  • Safeguarding Children Levels 1 & 2
  • Safeguarding Adults Level 1 & 2
  • Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)
  • RIDDOR
  • Documentation & Record Keeping
  • Mews Score Training

 

 

Some tips for agency nurses before you complete or consider doing your annual mandatory training.

Use a training provider like Train Healthcare that is listed on the Skills for Health website as an approved training provider. The quality of the training will be guaranteed to meet the required standards. Full details of Train Healthcare are available here.

Always keep your original training certificates as agencies usually need to see the originals to avoid fake certificates being produced.

 

All NHS Framework agencies will have to verify that the agency nurse mandatory training was carried out and an independent certified training provider will certify this much quicker than an agency providing their own internal training. This will especially be the case if you want to move or change agencies. An agency obviously will not want to see their worker leaving and will be slow to verify their training for another competitor agency. By using an approved Skills for Health provider you will not encounter this conflict of interest.

Some agencies will also charge agency nurses for training certificates as they know the worker is potentially looking to leave.

Accepting and verifying agency nurse mandatory training can often be a contentious issue between agency workers and the compliance team working for the agency. Our advice and top tip is always use an approved training provider where the training content and certificates can easily be verified. This will take the stress and aggravation out of approving your annual mandatory training.

 

We hope this information is useful and highlights the importance of checking the credentials of your training provider.

Nursing Agency Surrey Contract Award for Nursing Personnel

Nursing Personnel are delighted to announce we have been awarded a Tier 1 position on the new nursing agency surrey supply list for Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.The nursing agency Surrey  contract is effective form the 15th of June 2019 and is for the supply of nursing agency staff and healthcare assistants covering all specialities.

Nursing Agency Surrey

The Trust provides emergency and non emergency services to the towns of Crawley, Horsham, Reigate and Redhill.  East Surrey Hospital has recently been named as one of the top hospitals in the country and featured in the CHKS Top Hospitals List for 2019. East Surrey Hospital has 697 beds and provides acute and complex services.

Nursing Personnel are increasing our recruitment of agency nurses in the Surrey area and any interested nurses or healthcare assistants should contact us as we can offer some exceptional pay rates.  Some of the clinical areas we are recruiting for include A&E, ITU, medical and surgical wards, operating theatre and midwives. Accommodation is also available close by at very reasonable rates.

£1000 Bonus for Surrey Nurses

Nursing Personnel are an approved Nursing Agency in Surrey under the Health Trust Europe Nursing Framework Agreement. Nursling Personnel are also extending our £1,000 registration bonus for a further 8 weeks and this offer is only available for a limited time. The full terms on this offer are available here. If you are interested in working in the surrey area as an agency nurse please register on line or get in touch with us on 033 3043 6779 where one of our team will be delighted to help.

For more information on Surrey and Sussex NHS  Hospitals and its locations click here.

 

Agency Nurses Should Beat The Flu This Winter

Nursing Personnel are advising all agency nurses and healthcare workers to get the flu vaccine as soon as possible this winter. The vaccine is widely available and is a preventative measure.

Agency Nurses Professional Responsibility

Nurses are being advised by the RCN to get the flu vaccine as they have a professional responsibility to prevent the spread of the flu to vulnerable clients and patients. The RCN are advising their members through social media.

Below is some factual information on the flu that may be of interest.

Influenza, commonly known as “the flu”, is an infectious disease caused by an influenza virus. Symptoms can be mild to severe. The most common symptoms include: high feverrunny nosesore throatmuscle painsheadachecoughingsneezing, and feeling tired.

These symptoms typically begin two days after exposure to the virus and most last less than a week. The cough, however, may last for more than two weeks.

Complications of influenza may include viral pneumonia, secondary bacterial pneumoniasinus infections, and worsening of previous health problems such as asthma or heart failure.

Frequent hand washing reduces the risk of viral spread.

Yearly vaccinations against influenza are recommended by the World Health Organization for those at high risk.

Vaccines are tailored each year to protect against the most common circulation strains

Hence the reason for requiring annual vaccination

Front line health workers are much more likely to be exposed particularly during the winter months. as they will come into contact with patients who are infected.

As many as 1:4 staff may become infected during a mild outbreak.

Three Pandemics during the 20th Century

 

1918 Spanish Flu  50 million deaths

1957 Asian Flu 2 million deaths

1968 Hong Kong Flu 1 million deaths

2009 H1N1 ( Swine Flu) 17,000  deaths.

 

Our advice is simple, protect yourself, your family, your patients and your colleagues.

For more information or if you are concerned please contact Catherine Patterson clinical nurse manager at Nursing Personnel.

 

Nursing Personnel Nursing Agency Update

Nursing Personnel Nursing Agency Update

It’s been a busy month at our Nursing Agency with a great deal happening across the UK. Nursing Personnel are delighted to be working with a number of NHS Trusts across the UK to secure agency nurses to cover winter pressures.

As a result Nursing Personnel can now offer block bookings in most locations with excellent pay-rates for nurses looking for guaranteed work. The specialities required by the hospitals cover most clinical areas including general medicine and accident and emergency. Across many locations accommodation is available. An example of pay rates we can offer nurses include:

Nursing Agency Job Locations and Pay Rates

South Yorkshire:  Day Rates £28.00, Nights £31.00 P/H

North Lincolnshire: Day Rates £27.00 / £28 A&E

Warwickshire:  Day Rates £26.00, Nights £32.00 P/H

Devon:  Day Rates £40.00, Nights £45.00 P/H

Lincolnshire:  Day Rates £25.00, Nights £27.00 P/H

Cumbria:  Day Rates £27.00, Nights £31.00 P/H

London:  Day Rates £22.00, Nights £ 25.00 P/H

Oxfordshire:  Day Rates £24.50, Nights £ 30.00 P/H

West Midlands: Day Rates £25.00 Nights £32.00 P/H

North Midlands: Day £29.00 Night £34.00 P/H

The above is just a sample of competitive pay-rates across the UK. Rates quoted are umbrella and are subject to change.  For a full list of the available work please click here to see all of Nursing Personnel’s nursing agency jobs.

Nursing Personnel have just been awarded a place on the Barchester Healthcare preferred supplier list and as a result we will be able to offer work to agency nurses and healthcare assistants across the UK to many Barchester Healthcare sites. Some of the areas that we will be supplying into cover:

Yorkshire, Worcestershire, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Lancashire, Shrewsbury, Durham, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Durham and many more locations. Excellent pay rates are available in the above locations and for private sector.

Registration Bonus

As an incentive to attract agency nurses, Nursing Personnel are extending our registration bonus of £1,000 (terms apply) for all new nurses registering. This is a limited time offer so we would encourage all nurses interested in receiving the bonus to register and start working as soon as possible. If you would like more information please register online or call our offices on 033 3043 6779.

To view some of our recent blog posts feel free to click here. Current posts include an article on HMRC chasing nurses for tax on umbrella loan schemes and a large cash injection from the government to assist accident and emergency departments over the winter months.


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