NHS Fife Nurse Bank
OPERATIONAL GUIDE FOR USE OF THE NURSE
BANK
(Version 8 – January 2013)
CONTENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
6.
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6
7.
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4
7.5
7.6
7.7
7.8
7.9
7.10
7.11
8.
8.1
8.2
8.3
8.4
8.5
Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 3
Purpose of Operational Guide ................................................................................................ 3
Employment Arrangements .................................................................................................... 3
Recruitment & Advertising .................................................................................................... 3
Selection of Bank Staff........................................................................................................... 3
External Applicants ....................................................................................................... 3
Student Nurse Applications ........................................................................................... 4
Internal Applications (i.e. NHS Fife Staff who already have a substantive contract) .. 4
Offers of Appointment .................................................................................................. 5
Orientation ..................................................................................................................... 5
Communication ............................................................................................................. 5
Uniform Policy .............................................................................................................. 5
Training .................................................................................................................................. 5
Mandatory Training ....................................................................................................... 6
Further Training ............................................................................................................ 6
Flying Start .................................................................................................................... 6
Healthcare Support Workers Code of conduct .............................................................. 6
Effective Practitioner ..................................................................................................... 7
Knowledge and Skills Framework ................................................................................ 7
Bank Worker Information ...................................................................................................... 7
Staff Availability ........................................................................................................... 7
Staff Cancellations ........................................................................................................ 7
Staying Registered with the Nurse Bank ....................................................................... 7
Line Management .......................................................................................................... 8
Performance Issues relating to Nurse Bank Staff .......................................................... 8
Submission of claim forms ............................................................................................ 8
Annual Leave ................................................................................................................ 9
Mileage Claims.............................................................................................................. 9
Working Time Directive ............................................................................................... 9
Secondary Employment .............................................................................................. 10
Confidentiality/Privacy ............................................................................................... 10
Bank Service User Information ............................................................................................ 11
Submission of requests for staff from service users .................................................... 11
Nursing Agencies ........................................................................................................ 11
Allocation of Nurse Bank Staff ................................................................................... 11
Cancellation of Shifts – Ward / Departments .............................................................. 12
Booking Bank Staff Out of Hours ............................................................................... 12
2
1.
Introduction
NHS Fife recognises the importance of its complementary nursing workforce (i.e. Nurse Bank) in meeting
short term fluctuations in patient demand or staffing levels. The Nurse Bank provides an efficient, effective
and flexible internal nursing resource as an alternative to external agencies whilst offering bank workers a
flexible alternative to a contract of employment.
2.
Purpose of Operational Guide
The Operational Guide has been produced in order to standardise Nurse Bank Procedures in line with
Internal and External Audit requirements and to meet the recommendations from the “Nationally Coordinated
Nurse Bank Arrangement”. It is also intended to provide you as a member of the NHS Fife Bank staff with
the detail that you need to answer any question in respect of the NHS Fife Bank its’ processes and protocols.
The centralisation of the Nurse Bank has provided the opportunity to standardise the procedures which have
been implemented or developed in a variety of locations and services. This Operational Guide outlines the
procedures to be followed to enable the delivery of a high quality and cost effective service throughout NHS
Fife.
The Guide focuses on the processes and protocols in place which will be followed for Bank Staff. Separate
guidance has been published for service users on how to best utilise supplementary staff this can be
accessed using link below.
http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/documents/829/nursing%20and%20midwifery%20workforce%20planning%
20good%20practice%20guide.pdf
3.
Employment Arrangements
Entry on to the Nurse Bank Register does not constitute a contract of employment between NHS Fife and the
Nurse Bank Worker. You will be employed on an “as and when required basis”. There is no obligation on you
to accept work or upon NHS Fife to provide you with work, at any time.
4.
Recruitment & Advertising
Although internal recruitment is ongoing NHS Fife periodically advertises externally. This will allow external
applicants to join the Nurse Bank at various points throughout the year, and enable NHS Fife the opportunity
to structure induction and orientation activities thereby ensuring the Nurse Bank has a skilled and effective
resource.
5.
Selection of Bank Staff
5.1
External Applicants
External applicants will be expected to follow the normal recruitment and selection processes within NHS Fife.
These processes have been developed in accordance with the PIN guidance on Safer Pre and Post
Employment Checks.
In accordance with the Recruitment and Selection Standards, all successful candidates will be required to
satisfy pre-employment checks on Identity and Eligibility to work in the UK, Disclosure Scotland and
Protection of Vulnerable Groups, Qualifications and Registration, References, Pre-Employment Health
Assessments. This is not an exhaustive list and is likely to change due to changes in legislation and/or
guidelines.
There will be an expectation for bank staff to work a minimum of 1 bank shift every 3 months
...................................................................................................................................................................................
3
5.2
Student Nurse Applications
A student nurse will not be appointed to the Nurse Bank without the support of their Placement Ward
Manager and Course Tutor. All candidates will be required to satisfy the pre-employment checks detailed in
section 5.1. If students are joining the nurse bank to under take work as a Nursing Auxiliary (N/A) they must
be aware of the Working Time Directive when on placement. This means they must inform the bank office of
placement dates so as not to breach this directive.
The University of Dundee have made it clear that students undertaking N/A work should not be asked to
perform duties that cross over with the student role, e.g. TPR. If however the staff member has had separate
training within NHS Fife as an N/A or has completed Transferability of Skills documentation and been deemed
competent they may perform such duties.
If the student wishes to remain on the nurse bank after qualifying they must inform the Nurse Bank Team
within 3 months of receiving their registration. The decision to be allowed to undertake this process is at the
discretion of the Clinical Nurse Bank Manager. To allow this to be an informed decision there will be a
meeting arranged with the Clinical Nurse Manager on receipt of the request and confirmation of registration
with the NMC. The individual will then be asked to have a further Occupational Health check and undertake a
short orientation programme.
There will be an expectation for student nurses to work a minimum of 1 bank shift every 3 months given
placements and/or study time.
5.3
Internal Applications (i.e. NHS Fife Staff who already have a substantive contract)
An internal applicant will not be appointed to the Nurse Bank without the support of their Charge Nurse and/or
Clinical / Senior Nurse Manager. It is recognised that applicants who hold substantive posts within NHS Fife
have previously satisfied the pre-employment checks detailed in the Recruitment and Selection Standards. A
risk assessment will be carried out to establish if further checks are required to ensure changes in legislation
or internal guidance has been taken into account prior to placement on the Nurse Bank register.
With specific regard to the Protection of Vulnerable Groups legislation and the requirement to be a member of
this Scheme if undertaking “regulated work” there are 3 potential situations involving existing substantive staff
if they also undertake work within the Bank.
1) ...................................................................................................................................................................................... T
heir substantive post already involves “regulated work” and they are already members of the PVG Scheme.
In this instance the existing PVG membership will cover any “regulated work” undertaken within the Bank
arrangements
2) ...................................................................................................................................................................................... T
heir substantive post already involves “regulated work” but they have never previously had to have a
Disclosure application processed for them in terms of their employment. In this instance it will be permissible
for them to undertake duties within the Bank with their PVG application being considered in line with the
retrospective checking plan which will be implemented for all staff.
3) ...................................................................................................................................................................................... T
heir substantive post does not involve “regulated work” but they wish to apply to undertake “regulated work”
within the Bank. In this instance they will need to be considered as a new member of staff and would be
required to be a member of the PVG Scheme.
Payment for PVG Membership will be on the basis that, for new staff and existing staff within a non PVG
situation undertaking PVG work, for staff on Bands 1- 4 NHS Fife will pay the £59.00 cost involved. For staff
on Bands 5 and above who are new staff to NHS Fife the individual will be required to meet the cost involved.
National discussion is still ongoing in respect of the issue of payment for existing staff via a retrospective
process. Given that the work pattern for Bank staff is variable staff will be expected to provide their payment
details upon commencement on the Bank.
There will be an expectation for staff with substantive posts to work a minimum of 1 bank shift every 3
months.
4
5.4
Offers of Appointment
When all the conditions are met the Candidate will receive notice of appointment and details of
commencement and training/orientation. Only after all training/orientation has been completed will the
appointment be finalised, and shifts allocated. No Bank Worker should be offered or booked onto a shift prior
to appointment.
5.5
Orientation
Following receipt of the offer of appointment bank workers are expected to contact the Nurse Bank office to
arrange orientation/training. The purpose of this is to support the bank worker in their role and ensuring
competence in the range of expected understanding and tasks that this entails. This should happen within a
three month period. Failure to commence orientation within this time scale may result in your removal from
the Nurse Bank Register.
It is recognised that orientation may not be required for Bank Staff who hold a substantive post within NHS
Fife and will only undertake work within this area; however it will be at the discretion of the Clinical Nurse
Manager whether this expectation should be waived
If no shifts have been undertaken at the time of the 3 monthly review period then the individuals name will be
removed from the nurse bank list. If they wish to reapply they will have to have support from their Charge
Nurse and Clinical Nurse Manager from their substantive post. If the individual realises they are unlikely to
take work in this time frame they MUST approach their substantive or bank line manager to facilitate work or
give rationale to avoid this process.
5.6.................................................................................................................................................. Communication
To enhance the ability for communication with Bank Staff they are encouraged to provide a mobile telephone
number and email address. The Nurse Bank Office utilises SMS text messaging to keep bank staff informed
of work and training opportunities, as well as any other relevant information if a member of bank staff does not
have an email account they may apply to have an nhs.net account. This can be done by completing an IT
Registration Form and submitting it to the Nurse Bank Office for authorisation. As technology advances there
may also be a need for bank staff to increase access to NHS Fife IT systems, this will be arranged via the
Nurse Bank Office..
5.7 ................................................................................................................................................... Uniform Policy
All Nurse Bank staff must comply with the NHS Fife Uniform Policy. Uniforms are provided by the Board and
should be worn in accordance with the Policy. In areas where uniforms are not normally worn staff must dress
appropriately in accordance with NHS Fife Dress Code Policy.
Substantive staff employed on the Nurse Bank will not be issued with new uniforms on commencement with
the Bank. ‘Bank only’ staff will be issued with two uniforms. Replacement requests will be considered on an
individual basis. Only with the return of the uniform to be replaced will the uniform service at the hospital site
you are generally based issue you with a new one. The Bank Office will provide ID Badges for all ‘Bank only’
staff. ID Badges must be worn at all times.
6. ........................................................................................................................Training
Newly appointed Bank Staff will be expected to undertake Mandatory Training prior to undertaking shifts in
any clinical area within the Board, and the required documentation will be issued on commencement on the
Nurse Bank Register. . Failure to complete Mandatory Training within a three month period of a start date
being issued may result in termination of the recruitment process and result in your removal from the Nurse
Bank Register details.
5
6.1.......................................................................................................................................... Mandatory Training
The current topics that are covered during paid induction are Basic Life Support, Manual Handling, Fire
Safety, Infection Control, and where appropriate CALM/Safe & Therapeutic, and Anaphylaxis. This is not an
exhaustive list and is likely to change due to changes in legislation and/or guidelines. The booking reference
number will be obtained from the Nurse Bank Office prior to attendance and a Claim Form must be completed
and signed by the trainer as proof of attendance. This should then be submitted to the Nurse Bank Office for
payment.
The onus is upon you as an individual Bank Worker to ensure that your training is updated on an annual
basis. Notification of any training requirements should be made to the Nurse Bank. Failure to update this
training, or notify the Nurse Bank will result in the withdrawal of work and possible removal from the Nurse
Bank Register.
6.2................................................................................................................................................ Further Training
ALL Bank staff can access NHS Fife “In House” courses out with the Mandatory training set out above. There
is no charge to attend the course however Bank Staff are not paid for their time to attend should this be
sanctioned . This is seen as a development opportunity. All Course nominations should be made to the
Clinical Nurse Bank Manager in writing. On completion of relevant training and sign off, where applicable, the
individual should contact the Nurse Bank Team so that their Personnel File can be updated.
There are also e learning modules available in Level 1 Blood Transfusion, Gender Based Violence, Adult
Protection, Protecting Children in Scotland, Information Governance, Healthcare Associated Infection ‘Time
Management’, ‘Body Language’, ‘Presentations’, ‘Equality & Diversity’, ‘Listening Skills’, ‘Questioning Skills’
via NHS Fife Nurse Bank. If you wish to access these you should contact the Nurse Bank Office in the first
instance.
6.3......................................................................................................................................................... Flying Start
Where appropriate as a newly qualified practitioner there is an expectation that you will complete the Flying
Start NHS® Programme. Flying Start NHS® is the core resource for all staff to support induction,
transition and the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) development review cycle.



There are various forms of support available to you to assist you in completing the programme:
Practice Educator Facilitators
Flying Start Support Sessions
Flying Start mentor in the clinical area
The Flying Start NHS® website can be accessed on www.flyingstart.scot.nhs.uk where you will find lots of
useful information on getting started and how to register. You will also be issued with information from the
Nurse Bank Office upon commencement and if you require further information/guidance you should speak to
a member of the Nurse Bank Team.
6.4............................................................................................... Healthcare Support Workers Code of conduct
From 1 January 2011 the Government introduced Induction Standards and a Code of Conduct for Healthcare
Support Workers. These provisions will apply to relevant employment with the NHS Fife Nurse Bank, which is
appropriate to work as a Nursing Auxiliary. Once Bank Staff have completed their orientation shifts and
returned the Orientation Booklet to the bank office for sign off by the Clinical Nurse Bank Manager they will be
sent a copy of the Code of Conduct and the HCSW Workbook will be issued for information and completion.
There will be further discussion with the Clinical Nurse Bank Manager about your induction to ensure Bank
Staff receive the appropriate support to help to meet the standards within 5 months of receiving the
documentation. Bank Staff will have 9 months from their recruitment date to the Nurse Bank to complete any
outstanding areas requiring sign off. It is anticipated that Bank Staff will be able to do this whilst working in
6
various clinical areas via the NHS Fife Nurse Bank. Once concluded the completed HCSW Workbook should
be returned to the Nurse Bank Office at the address above to allow relevant paperwork to be completed.
6.5......................................................................................................................................... Effective Practitioner
This is a valuable resource for Nurse & Midwife Practitioners to gain guidance and knowledge in line with
PDP. The resource gives guidance on how to demonstrate your value; apply the latest evidence-based care;
develop your role and maximise work-based learning. Effective Practitioner is a NES resource and can be
accessed on http://www.effectivepractitioner.nes.scot.nhs.uk/Default.aspx
6.6.................................................................................................................... Knowledge and Skills Framework
All NHS Scotland staff are required to have an Annual PDP Review. Arrangements for Bank staff are
subject to both local and national discussion and any national guidance issued will be implemented.
Currently local implementation for NHS Fife Nurse Bank staff requires that a minimum of 1 shift every 3
months is worked and that annual mandatory training is attended as outlined in point 6.1. This ensures skills
and competencies are maintained and can be demonstrated for audit purposes and that compliance with
current legislation is maintained.
7. ........................................................................................... Bank Worker Information
As previously stated bank staff are employed on an “as and when required basis” and there is no obligation
on individuals to accept work or on NHS Fife to provide work, however there are processes in place to ensure
that an efficient and professional bank service is provided. Bank Staff are expected to work within all NHS Fife
Policies and Processes at all times. The focus should be “about caring: caring for our patients, caring for each
other and caring about what we do”. Janette Owens Associate Director of Nursing, Operational Division
2011.
7.1................................................................................................................................................. Staff Availability
Following the period of Induction, Bank staff are required to submit details of their Availability for work. This is
usually done by telephone. On receipt of Staff Availability the Nurse bank will “match” shift requests to staff
availability. The specific skills or experience required will be taken in to consideration before work is offered to
the individual member of staff. Availability should be kept up to date at all times, failure to do so may result in
staff availability not being stored except at the time of contact. Staff should be aware that they may be
contacted at short notice for work.
7.2..............................................................................................................................................Staff Cancellations
The Bank Office advises all Bank staff that they must give at least a minimum of 4 hours notice if cancelling a
shift. Measures are in place should staff fail to fulfil previously booked shifts. If Bank staff call in sick they will
not be offered any further shifts until the Bank Team have notification that they are fit to resume duty.
Wards and Departments will be informed timeously when a member of staff cancels at short notice. The Bank
will also endeavour to reallocate this shift to another member of staff where possible. If
attendance/cancellation become a recurring theme with a member of bank staff then the Clinical Nurse Bank
Manager will investigate this and it may result in ‘Attendance Monitoring’ and if no improvement may lead to
the withdrawal of the offer of work with NHS Fife Nurse Bank.
7.3.......................................................................................................... Staying Registered with the Nurse Bank
7
If any member of Bank Staff does not undertake work over a period of 3 months they will automatically
receive a letter at the point of the 3 monthly review to reconsider their registered status on the bank. This may
result in withdrawing the offer of work. To remain registered if this occurs there must be a valid reason for not
having undertaken work and attendance will be monitored.
7.4............................................................................................................................................... Line Management
The Clinical Nurse Bank Manager is in post to provide management, leadership, direction and development
for the Nurse Bank and the support of Nurse Bank Staff within NHS Fife. On a day to day basis all bank staff
will be expected to take direction/guidance from the ‘Nurse in Charge’ of the Clinical Area in which they are
working. This includes delegation of work load, dealing with patient or relative complaints and any concerns
for individual patient welfare (Protecting Vulnerable Groups, Child Protection etc.).
If the bank staff member has any concerns that are not resolved with the Nurse in Charge then they should
contact the Nurse Bank Office Team in the in hours period who will give advice and inform the Clinical Nurse
Bank Manager of the concern. Out of hours the Duty Charge Nurse/Coordinator should be contacted for
guidance. Any concerns raised to the Duty Charge Nurse/Coordinator should be fed back to the Nurse Bank
Team via the daily Morning Report. The individual bank staff member should also contact the Nurse Bank
Team in the in hours period to ensure the matter has been resolved and that no further action is required.
If the Nurse in Charge has any issues/concerns regarding a bank staff member this should be highlighted to
the Clinical Nurse Bank Manager In Hours via telephone/email or the Clinical Reporting Form (Appendix 1)
This form is intended as an immediate record of events following an incident involving a Bank staff member.
Please ensure that it is completed fully and sent to the Bank Office. You maybe contacted at a later stage to
discuss this in more detail. Please note that this form should not be used instead of the NHS Fife Clinical
Incident Reporting Form or Datix.
7.5........................................................................................... Performance Issues relating to Nurse Bank Staff
Bank staff should be aware of all NHS Fife Policies and Procedures which are available via the NHS Fife
Intranet. If you as a member of Bank Staff require access to policies and procedures you should make the
Bank Team aware and they will endeavour to provide access to the information in a timely fashion.
Bank staff are not permitted to work on the Bank when:
-On sick leave from their substantive/other post
-On maternity leave within 6 weeks of the birth of child/still in receipt of Statutory Maternity Pay
-On suspension from substantive/other post pending investigation
-NMC registration has lapsed and until registration is confirmed.
N.B. PLEASE NOTE THAT ONCE ON DUTY WITHIN NHS FIFE ALL STAFF MAY BE REALLOCATED TO
ANOTHER WORK AREA TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE SERVICE. IT IS NOT EXPECTED THAT IF
ASKED TO MOVE TO ANOTHER WORK AREA THAT THE INDIVIDUAL WILL REFUSE AS THEY WILL BE
MOVED TO AN AREA WHERE IT IS DEEMED THAT THEY POSSESS THE NECESSARY SKILLS AND
COMPETENCIES TO WORK. IF AN INDIVIDUAL DOES REFUSE THE REASONS MUST BE DISCUSSED
WITH THE DUTY CHARGE NURSE/COORDINATOR OR THE NURSE BANK OFFICE. STAFF SHOULD
BE AWARE REFUSAL WILL BE INVESTIGATED AND COULD RESULT IN THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE
OFFER OF BANK WORK.
7.6................................................................................................................................ Submission of claim forms
Bank Nurse Claim Forms must be submitted to the Nurse Bank Office NO LATER THAN Tuesday at 14:00hrs
for weekly payment of wages the following Thursday. Individual Bank Nurses are responsible for ensuring that
their Claim Forms are submitted on time and that all information is complete, if not this could result in delayed
payment.. Bank Staff must sign and date each Claim Form as being accurate and accepted for payment.
Please note incomplete Claim Forms will be returned and not processed, therefore resulting in delayed
payment.
8
NB: Following Internal Audit Recommendations the Nurse Bank is unable to accept Faxed Claim Forms.
7.7...................................................................................................................................................... Annual Leave
In 2008, section 2 of the Agenda for Change Handbook was amended to reflect a new UK agreement on the
way in which staff working unsocial hours and bank/casual workers - i.e. any worker employed on a bank,
casual relief or as and when required basis were paid during periods of annual leave. This new system
replaced the practice of paying enhanced hourly rates in lieu of leave with a system which allocated paid
annual leave in accordance with actual hours worked. In line with the Working Time regulations, the current
maximum leave entitlement for bank / casual workers is 28 days pro rata to actual hours worked. Payment
during annual leave will therefore also be pro rata based on the hours worked prior to the leave being taken,
and subject to a maximum of 210 hours (pro rata) per annual leave year.
This means Bank Staff must not undertake work anywhere within NHS Fife in this 28 days period. Further
information in relation to this is available from your local HR office or the Nurse Bank Office.
LOCAL IMPLENTATION
To ensure that Bank Staff do not miss out on your entitlement to annual leave the following arrangements are
in place:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The annual leave year runs from 1st April to 31st March each year. At regular intervals throughout the
annual leave year Bank Staff are expected to contact the Nurse Bank office for confirmation of the annual
leave accrued.
Bank Staff should notify the Nurse Bank office when they will take accrued leave, providing a
minimum of 2 weeks notice, ensuring that a Claim Form has been received in the Nurse Bank Office within
this time frame. Failure to do so will result in non authorisation for the requested leave period.
If Bank Staff hold a substantive post within NHS Fife, they should ensure that their maximum leave
entitlement 28 days pro rata to actual hours worked on the bank is taken as annual leave from their
substantive post.
All leave accrued for work between 1st April and 28th February must be taken no later than 31 March
for that leave year. Failure to claim leave following this process and time frames will result in accrued leave
being lost as no carry forward into future leave years will be available.
Annual leave accrued for work undertaken from 1 st – 31st March will automatically be carried forward
into the next leave year. This process is in place as it is recognised that there is insufficient time for work
undertaken in the final month of the annual leave year.
N.B. Bank staff who have not taken any annual leave days within the specified periods are not entitled
to any payment in lieu
7.8................................................................................................................................................... Mileage Claims
Only in specific circumstances will Bank Staff be eligible to claim mileage for work undertaken via NHS Fife
Nurse Bank. This would be discussed and authorised by the manager of the area offering work and the
Clinical Nurse Bank Manager prior to any work being offered in areas where mileage would be incurred. If
mileage is authorised then there is a process to be followed – this involves checking vehicle documentation,
completing the relevant paperwork and logging details on the Nurse Bank IT system. Only once this is
complete would the bank staff member be able to submit mileage claims on the relevant documentation.
Mileage is paid on a monthly basis and must be submitted to the bank office on either a weekly or monthly
basis. Retrospective payment can only be claimed for a maximum of 3 months as per NHS Fife Policy. If
there are any queries regarding this please contact the Nurse Bank Office.
7.9.................................................................................................................................... Working Time Directive
Employees/Bank Staff must ensure that their total working hours do not exceed the limit as set out in the
Working Time Regulations unless a waiver has been signed (Employees should be aware that the Board
reserves the right not to accept a waiver if it believes the health and safety of any staff or patients are likely to
9
be affected.) If a waiver is agreed by the line manager in exceptional circumstances it would be reviewed on a
monthly basis.
Employees must comply with the required rest periods as set out in the Working Time Regulations and any
secondary employment should not compromise this under any circumstances. All secondary employment
must be declared.
Failure to comply with the Working Time Regulations (WTR) may result in an investigation using the
framework within the NHS Fife Management of Employee Conduct Policy and failure to comply with the WTR
within NHS Fife is viewed as misconduct. Contravening this policy could also be considered as fraud and
this being the case; the matter may be referred to the NHS Fife Fraud Liaison Officer who may in turn make
a referral to Counter Fraud Services for further investigation
Staff who intend to work during their annual leave should be aware that they must take their annual leave
entitlement as laid out in the Working Time Regulations as leave is allocated to comply with the relevant
Health and Safety Legislation. Substantive employees who also work on the bank will have their hours
monitored to ensure compliance with WTR..All employees/Bank Staff must adhere to the Working Time
Regulations and take responsibility for their own health and safety, the health and safety of their colleagues
and the health and safety of the patients under their care.
7.10 .................................................................................................................................. Secondary Employment
The NHS in Scotland recognises that employees/Nurse Bank Staff may engage in secondary employment or
self
employment in addition to their primary post with NHS Fife. NHS Fife must be satisfied that there are no
conflicts of interest or health and safety implications for the employee or their colleagues or patients and that
this other work does not have an adverse effect on their ability to carry out their duties within NHS Fife..
Employees should inform the Nurse Bank Office about any current employment other than their bank work,
including any other contract in NHS Fife or with any other employer. New employees to the Nurse Bank
must disclose any existing jobs which will continue after commencing on the bank.
Employees should refrain from their secondary employment whilst on sick leave from NHS Fife. This
includes any work during “out of hours” periods, e.g. weekends and evenings UNLESS a GP Certificate/note
states otherwise. This will also apply to employees who hold two separate contracts within NHS Fife i.e. two
part time posts.
Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in disciplinary action and could be considered fraudulent –
the matter may be referred to the NHS Fife Fraud Liaison Officer who may in turn make a referral to Counter
Fraud Services for further investigation
7.11................................................................................................................................... Confidentiality/Privacy
The NHS cannot deliver effective care without effective information. NHS Fife is committed to improving
patient care through advances in technology, resulting in better access to health information, ensuring
appropriate information is available when and where it is needed, accessed only by those who should have
access to it and that it is correct and up-to-date.
Allied to the Board’s drive to deliver an electronic patient record to support care delivery is the need to
safeguard confidentiality by handling patient information securely. While breaches of information security are
relatively few they have a very high profile, cause adverse publicity and serve to undermine public confidence.
All staff must be aware of their responsibility to maintain patient confidentiality, and ensure that the
information NHS Fife is entrusted with is used in compliance with the Data Protection Act. This position is
consistent with your professional responsibilities contained within the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code:
Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics for nurses and midwives.
Examples of confidentiality / privacy breaches include:
VIP Snooping - unauthorised or unnecessary examination of the records of footballers or sports stars,
politicians, media personalities and criminals.
10
Other Snooping - accessing the records of colleagues, friends, family members or neighbours. This access
may be malicious and/or simple nosiness, it may even be at the request of these individuals – all are
breaches of the policy.
Self examination - examining your own record breaches the policy.
Logging on as someone else - using the logon of a fellow member of staff, even in the course of treating a
legitimate patient, breaches the policy.
Divulging Information – discussing information relating to the treatment and care of patients outside the
clinical setting, with other colleagues not involved in this care or within a public area where you can be
overheard.
Insecure Records – Leaving medical records unattended where they may be read by colleagues not involved
in this care or within a public area.
8. ................................................................................. Bank Service User Information
8.1........................................................................................ Submission of requests for staff from service users
All wards and departments should submit shift requests via the web request system (BSMS) as early as
possible. There is a minimum requirement of 2 days. Any requests less than 48hrs in advance must be
telephoned directly to the bank office. This will allow the Bank Team to try and allocate staff to the specific
request(s). When submitting requests you are required to complete all relevant fields, avoiding any
abbreviations. All requests for the Operational Division must be sanctioned at Clinical Nurse Manager level or
above.
STAFF REQUESTING COMPLIMENTARY STAFFING COVER MUST BE AN “Authorised Requester”. To
register as an authorised requester please contact the Bank Office after authorisation from your
Directorate/Clinical Nurse Manager. The requester should also follow their individual areas policy/process for
requesting shifts within their budget.
Late notice requests must be telephoned to the bank office or duty charge nurse/coordinator. This will allow
attention to be given to these shifts as soon as possible.
The following information is required:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
CLINICAL AREA/WARD
HOSPITAL
AUTHORISED BY
TELEPHONE EXTENSION
DATE
SHIFT TIME
REASON (please note this is mandatory)
BOOKING DIRECT- Bank Staff may be “booked direct”. If Bank staff are booked direct at ward level
enter their name in column “staff name” (the bank office will not confirm the work with the individual as this
should have been done prior to entering the bank staff member’s name) on receipt of this a unique reference
number is provided by the Bank Office.
8.2............................................................................................................................................... Nursing Agencies
NHS Fife has a ‘NO AGENCY’ policy. Should the service require to access Nursing Agencies this decision
would be made at Senior Management Level and authorisation given at Executive Level. Agencies should only be
be utilised in line with Scottish Government Policy.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should Agency staff be booked direct at ward level. The Board reserves the
right to withhold payment of Agency invoices if the service has not been procured as per NHS Fife Protocol.
Further information is available from the Clinical Nurse Bank Manager.
8.3..........................................................................................................................Allocation of Nurse Bank Staff
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Once the Nurse Bank has received your Request the Bank Team will begin to allocate the outstanding shift
requirements. This information is recorded on the BSMS IT system, which generates a unique Booking
Reference Number.
ALL shifts recorded will have a Booking Reference Number allocated to the specific shift. Bank Staff will have
to indicate this number on submission of their Time-sheet. The ‘Outstanding’ shifts will be allocated by the
Nurse Bank Team or Duty Charge Nurse/Coordinator and therefore should not be allocated at Ward level.
IF there is a need to allocate at ward level to their own substantive staff, who also hold a bank contract, this
information MUST be passed back to the Nurse Bank Team (in hours) or Duty Charge Nurse/Coordinator (out
of hours) in a timely manner to prevent duplication in the request/allocation.
The Duty Charge Nurse/Coordinator will feedback any changes in staffing requirement or deployment to the
Nurse Bank Office via a daily report to allow accurate information to be held within BSMS to comply with
Health and Safety Regulations and Audit.
Please note the Bank Nurse accepting the shift requires the Booking Reference Number for payment of any
work undertaken via NHS Fife Nurse Bank. The bank nurse can contact the Bank Office to obtain this or it
may be given by the clinical area via the BSMS Web Request System. If the clinical area has failed to log the
request then no Booking Reference Number can be generated. This may result in delayed payment to the
bank nurse undertaking work.
8.4
Cancellation of Shifts – Ward / Departments
Ward Managers/Charge Nurses/Nurse in Charge should endeavour to advise the Bank Office of a shift
cancellation no later than 4 hours prior to the commencement of the shift. The Nurse Bank will then try to
reallocate this member of staff.
Where a Bank member of staff cancels directly at ward level the Bank Office must also be advised in order to
make the necessary arrangements to source a replacement member of staff. Wards cannot cancel one
member of bank staff in favour of another. Where a member of Bank staff appears for duty but is no longer
required, please DO NOT send the staff member home. Contact the Nurse Bank Team or Co-ordinator where
the member of staff will be re-deployed to another ward or department as required. If the Bank Staff Member
is not required then a minimum payment for 2 hours will be incurred and will require to be paid by the original
booking area.
ALL Authorised Signatories must check that all the relevant information on the Claim Form is accurate before
signing.
8.5
Booking Bank Staff Out of Hours
In the event of Clinical Areas requiring staff out with 0800-2000hrs Monday – Friday or 0800 – 1400hrs
Saturday - Sunday, Directorate/ Clinical Nurse Managers/Lead Nurses & Clinical Co-ordinators may continue to
book Staff and complete the Daily Email Report to inform the Bank Office. Where this report is not in use the
area booking the bank staff member must contact the Bank Office as soon as possible after the office re opens
to ensure that a ‘booking reference number’ can be assigned for payment and audit purposes.
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CLINICAL REPORTING FORM
Please use this form for reporting relevant issues to the Nurse Bank Manager.
For urgent issues information will be accepted by telephone but must be followed by this completed
form.
NAME OF BANK/AGENCY NURSE…………………………………………………………………
DATE OF SHIFT …………………… WARD …………….. HOSPITAL ………………………
…
NATURE
TRAINING REQUIREMENT

PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

CONDUCT/BEHAVIOUR

TIMEKEEPING

ATTENDANCE

DESCRIPTION (please give accurate details of the issue being raised)
Please note that this form should not be used instead of a NHS Fife Clinical Incident Reporting Form. If any member
of Bank Staff is involved in a near miss or clinical incident the normal reporting procedure must be followed and a
copy of the form sent to the Nurse Bank Manager immediately.
REPORT COMPLETED BY ……………………………………………………………………………….
GRADE………………………….
DATE……………………………
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