Rotas:
When should you receive your rota?
– Junior doctors should receive their rota 6 weeks in advance of starting their post
What to look out for in your rotas?
- 46 hours rest after a period of full night shifts
- You should not work 7 nights in a row
- You should not work more than 7 days in a row
- Has annual leave been fixed?
See: DL on 46 hours rest after nights
See: Update on BMA/MSG Agreement on 46 Hours Rest Following a Period of Night Shifts
See: DL on fixed leave
If you don’t have your rota here’s what to do
- Contact the medical staffing/HR department of your NHS placement board to request your rota in the first instance. See here for list of placement board contacts
- If issues remain, contact BMA advisers for advice:
Call 0300 123 1233
Webchat live with a BMA adviser
Rota monitoring
Why it’s important?
- to check that you are on the correct banding allocation and being paid correctly
- that your working patterns are safe
- NHS boards have a contractual responsibility to monitor the hours you work
- Junior doctors have a mutual obligation and responsibility to take part in monitoring
Key facts on monitoring
- It should take place a minimum of twice a year, but you can request it at any time
- There should be pre-monitoring meetings to highlight issues and post-monitoring meetings to discuss the outcome of monitoring
- You should flag difficulties with shift length or breaks before monitoring (it may have prompted you to request it)
- A consultant signature or approval code is not needed to validate your monitoring return. Some departments will ask for them to highlight issues but these should be covered as above. You do not need to seek a signature
- A return rate of 75% of forms and each shift type is required for valid monitoring
- You should receive feedback with the results of monitoring within 15 working days
- Monitoring should only be stopped in exceptional circumstances and with the agreement of junior doctors and the Scottish Government
- There is a GMC requirement for doctors to engage in monitoring and for you to complete it fully and frankly
What you can do?
Read: BMA/MSG joint monitoring guidance
Top tips:
- Take part in monitoring and ensure your monitoring data is returned within two weeks after the completion of the monitoring period
- Complete your monitoring information and data accurately and make a copy of your monitoring return for your records
- If monitoring isn’t taking place, if it is unrepresentative, if you haven’t received results or if you have any concerns on how monitoring is being done:
Contact the medical staffing/HR department of your NHS placement board and your BMA LNC representative (https://www.bma.org.uk/about-us/how-we-work/local-representation/contact-your-lnc/local-negotiating-committees-scotland
Banding process
What if the banding of your rota is incorrect?
– Banding can change after monitoring. If you disagree with the decision made on the banding of your rota bring this to the attention of a BMA adviser to discuss how this issue might be resolved
Banding appeal process
– There is a formal appeals process concerning disputes over the banding of rotas – issues including:
monitoring data;
pay protection issues
-Contact a BMA adviser to discuss this and to provide guidance on the best way forward
See: Understanding Pay banding and pay banding calculator
In-post Pay protection
Will I have pay banding protected?
– Pay protection applies from the date you are notified of your placement, or from 6 weeks before the date on which you start the placement, whichever is earlier
-From this point onwards, if the placement is subsequently rebanded to a lower banding supplement, junior doctors will have their banding protected at the banding which would have applied but for the rebanding, save where a non-compliant post becomes compliant, in which case banding shall be protected at Band 2A. Note that such protection will only apply for the duration of that placement.
You can Tweet or Facebook message a BMA adviser for support and advice.
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Further information and guidance
BMA/MSG joint monitoring guidance
Code of practice for junior doctors in Scotland
Junior doctor banding appeal: Good practice guidance (Scotland) including FAQs
NHS Pay circular for 2020 and Addendum
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