NHS Collaborative Bank - MWL FAQs

Your dedicated page for all queries...

If you have any queries related to the Collaborative Bank, please check out our FAQs below where you can get all the answers you are looking for.

Should you have any questions which are not answered in the dropdown menu below, please get in touch with the team via phone or email. Contact details can be found on our NHS Collaborative Bank - MWL page.

Industrial Action

• Can I undertake a bank shift to cover Industrial Action?

  No. Following the recent change in legislation effective from 10 August 2023, the Collaborative Bank have been advised the use of the NHS Collaborative Bank to cover Industrial Action shifts is not permitted.

 Wagestream

• Can I access my earned pay for working Collaborative Bank shifts earlier than waiting for the next month pay date?

  Yes. By joining Wagestream you can choose when to get paid using a percentage of the money you’ve already earned for shifts worked which have been approved for payment.  More information can be found on our dedicated Wagestream page.

All Other FAQs

• How do I register to work as part of the Collaborative Bank?

  To register you need to download the Patchwork Health app and create a profile. Further details about the app can be found on Google Play and Apple app store.

  To create a profile you will need to upload a copy of your CV and proof of your Right to Work. If required, a sample CV can be found here.

• Can I work shifts via the Collaborative Bank once my contract ends with MWL Lead Employer?

  No, once your contract ends with MWL Lead Employer we are unable to process any shifts. Please contact the Collaborative Bank team a few weeks before your contract end date and we can help further with joining the Trust banks.

• Will I have to complete pre-employment checks again?

  No, your substantive post clearances will cover you to undertake shifts via the Collaborative Bank.  Appropriate due diligence and sharing agreements have been implemented to support this service and the participating organisations sharing appropriate data.  

  When undertaking your first bank shift at a participating Trust, you will be required to take your Right To Live Work (RTLW) ID document to enable the Trust to verify your identity for reasons of patient safety. 

• Do I need to sign a separate contract?

  Yes, the Bank contract terms and conditions are in the Patchwork Health app for you to review and agree to prior to joining the bank.

  The Bank is set up so that each shift you accept will be a separate engagement with the Trust you agree to complete the shift for.

• Do I need to opt out of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) to be able to complete shifts?

  Yes, you can do this by contacting the Case Management team via LeadEmployer.CaseManagement@sthk.nhs.uk

• Can I join the Collaborative Bank if I have health restrictions/adjustments/restrictions on practice?

  It's important that you make the Collaborative Bank team aware of any adjustments/restrictions to ensure these can be shared with the participating Trusts where the shifts are based to discuss whether they can accommodate these.

  You should not agree to work any shifts that are not compatible with any health requirements/adjustments that you may require.

• Will I require another Covid Risk Assessment?

  The Trust where you are due to undertake a bank shift will complete a Covid Risk Assessment if required for the environment in which you will be working.

• How do I know if I have been accepted onto the Collaborative Bank?

  You will receive a notification via the Patchwork Health app to confirm that you have been accepted onto the Collaborative Bank together with a welcome email from the team.

• How can I see what bank shifts are available?

  As you open the Patchwork Health app, you’re greeted by the Shift Homepage. This will detail all the shifts available within the Collaborative Bank. These shifts will be marked as ‘Available’ or ‘Urgent’. 

• What information is available regarding a shift?

  The date, times, location, department and rate of pay. If you need more information, the app gives you the option to 'Ask the department a question.' Anything you enter here will be sent to the Trust where the shift is, who will respond to you directly.  

• How will I know if I have been approved to work a shift?

  An email will be sent to your inbox in the Patchwork Health app and the email address that you have provided when you joined the app. The shifts you are due to work can be found in the ‘Planner’ tab at the bottom of the app. 

• What should I do if I can no longer undertake the shift?

  You can use the Patchwork Health app to notify the Trust that you are no longer available to undertake the shift. To do this, find the shift in question in your 'Planner.' 

  Depending on the circumstances, you will either be able to cancel the shift in the app or if it is short notice, you will instead see instructions of who to contact to discuss your situation.

• What rate will I get paid for my shift?

  This will be determined by the Trust where you are undertaking the shift and notified via the Patchwork Health app prior to expressing your interest in undertaking the shift. For clarity, the bank has no control in relation to agreeing rates of pay.

• Who approves my shifts for payment and how will I know if they have been signed off?

  It's your responsibility to ensure that you get your shift signed off by your supervisor at the end of your shift via the Patchwork Health app. It will then need to be approved for payment by the Workforce team at the Trust where the shift has been worked. Once approved, you will receive confirmation via the app that the payment has been approved. Only after the shift has been approved can the Collab Bank team ensure the shift is sent for payment in the next payroll run.

• When will I receive payment for shifts worked?

  Bank payments will be paid a month in arrears. All payroll deadline dates from April 2024 to March 2025 can be found here.

  You will receive payment on the same date as your monthly salary which is usually on 28th of each month unless it falls on a weekend, in which case, you will receive payment on the Friday before. Your bank shift payments will be shown on a separate payslip.

• What are the tax and NI implications if I join the Collaborative Bank?

  An additional assignment number will be created when you join the Collaborative Bank. The Payroll team will aggregate the tax and NI with your substantive post so it is split across both assignments. 

• If earning over £4189 per month across my substantive and Collaborative Bank assignments will my employee National Insurance contribution from any locum shifts continue to be 2% rather than the basic rate of 10%?

  You will contribute 2% in National Insurance on anything above the upper earnings limit for the month.

• Will there be any pension implications if I join the Collaborative Bank?

  The pension scheme applicable to your NHS Collaborative Bank substantive contract has no application to work conducted under the Collaborative Bank. Upon commencement your Bank post will be assessed for eligibility to join the contractual NHS Pension Scheme, but if you do not meet the criteria the bank post will be assessed for Automatic Enrolment on to the organisation’s alternative pension scheme NEST.

  If you do not wish to continue to pay in to either scheme, once enrolled please follow the schemes opt out process. Further information on pensions can be found here.

• What if I have not worked at the Trust before and I’m not familiar with the Trust?

  The Trust will arrange a local induction and provide you with access to relevant systems.

• Will I need to arrange indemnity cover?

  No, you are covered by NHSLA at the Trust where you are undertaking clinical duties. This does not include personal professional indemnity and you may wish to ensure you also have this cover. 

• Who is my Responsible Officer (RO) whilst working banks shifts?

  Your RO is linked to where you complete the majority of your work. Therefore, as a Lead Employer trainee your RO is the NHS England, North West Postgraduate Dean. 

• Will I accrue annual leave for bank shifts worked?

  No, the provision of the Collaborative bank is that annual leave payments will be rolled up and added to your agreed shift rate and paid on a monthly basis. 

• Can I still undertake bank shifts when I am OOP?

  When you are Out of Programme, your mandatory employment checks and training are not currently managed by Lead Employer and your Patchwork Account will be suspended until you return from OOP.  There are however exceptions based on the reason for the OOP period, to discuss this further please contact the Collaborative Bank team at nhs.collaborativebank@MerseyWestLancs.nhs.uk.

• Can I undertake a bank shift whilst on maternity/adoption/paternity leave?

  No, trainees are not permitted to work whilst receiving statutory or occupational maternity pay.

• Can I undertake a bank shift whilst I am on annual leave?

  Yes, however, it is important that you take time for regular rest and recuperation throughout your training. Therefore, it's not recommended that periods of annual leave are used to undertake bank shifts. 

• Can I undertake a bank shift if I am off sick?

  No, trainees are not permitted to work whilst in receipt of statutory or occupational sick pay (this would be treated as fraud).

• What policies and procedures will I be expected to adhere to?

  The policies and procedures at the Trust where you are undertaking the bank shift.

• Can I still work shifts via my current Host Trust bank?

  Yes, you're able to sign up to your local bank and work shifts for them and receive payment via their payroll provider.

  Trusts will advertise any shifts initially to their local bank, so if you wish to work shifts in a specific Trust and want early sight of the shifts available, joining both the local Trust bank and the Collaborative Bank would maximise you opportunities for bank shift access. 

• How will I be paid if I work outside of my work schedule under my Terms and Conditions?

  The difference in working additional hours around your work schedule to maintain patient safety and a locum shift is defined below (this is from the Terms and Conditions 2016).

  Additional Hours: Additional hours relate to employees staying on site to secure patient safety after their shift has completed in accordance with their work under the TCS (as described in schedule 2, paragraph 73). This time would be taken as time owed in lieu (TOIL) or as an exception report payment (as per schedule 2, paragraphs 74-75). In line with schedule 2, paragraph 4, this payment would be 1/40th of weekly whole time equivalent for each additional hours worked.

  Locum Shifts: Locum shifts relate to work completed by DiT workers outside of their work schedule and the TCS (as set out in schedule 3, paragraph 52 and 53). Such work is subject to separate terms and conditions and the rate of pay for this shift will be determined by bank work provider (as per schedule 2, paragraph 86). In the case of the Bank, this will remain as per Trusts individual rate cards.