If you need to self-isolate because you have or someone in your household has one of the Coronavirus symptoms, please notify First Care by calling 0333 3218052 or 0345 4565773. The First Care staff will record your absence in a way that is separate from a normal sickness absence. This will be recorded as special leave and not count as a sickness absence on your record. Please also contact your line manager so that they can support you.
If you are working from home purely for the purposes of social distancing, you do not need to call First Care. If at any point during self-isolation you develop or a family member over the age of five develops potential COVID-19 symptoms, please book your test online. For more details on testing, please go to this page.
Please follow the standard procedure for reporting a sickness absence. Please notify First Care by calling 0333 3218052 or 0345 4565773, and inform your line manager. Please make sure you abide by national advice and do not return to the work environment until it is appropriate to do so.
Please also ensure those you live with follow the self-isolation guidance. If you can continue to work from home a COVID-19 test will not be automatically requested, so please book your test online at https://www.gov.uk/apply-coronavirus-test-essential-workers.
A new flowchart has been developed to help colleagues identify the right process for reporting sickness absence or self-isolation (due to your own symptoms or those of a family member) during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
All Trust employees are classed as critical workers. A letter is available to provide evidence if required, for example when leaving an area that is part of a local lockdown.
Following national guidance and as a Trust, we have taken the decision that you will be paid if you need to self-isolate. Managers will keep in touch and provide guidance on what work you can do as there may be opportunities for people to undertake work from home.
If this information does not directly answer any questions you may have about changes to pay, please discuss with your line manager and/or contact People Services.
Bank staff payments
The latest NHS Employers guidance outlines Bank staff payments as follows:
- For colleagues who have self-quarantined for 12 weeks (due to being identified as being at high risk of developing severe symptoms or complications if they catch COVID-19), pay will be calculated for the previous 12 weeks where Bank staff have been working regular shifts
- If Bank staff have already had some pre-booked shifts paid as they were on the Roster, these will be deducted from the final outstanding amount
- For Bank staff that do not have regular working patterns, the 52-week reference period applies and pay will be calculated accordingly
- Our Systems and Information team (part of the People Services department) will be working with our payroll provider and the Team Derbyshire Bank to process these payments.
Timesheets
Please complete the timesheet available on Connect in the “Coronavirus information for colleagues” page, to record additional working hours. Please note that the deadline for submissions is normally the 8th of the month.
- Monthly paid staff who are on HealthRoster and do not normally submit a paper timesheetPayments will continue as normal i.e. the shifts worked and finalised in HealthRoster will be interfaced as they normally are to payroll. However, please see the note below regarding processes if you are absent from work and claiming enhancements.
- Monthly paid staff who submit a paper timesheet
Please continue to complete a timesheet; an amended form to use is available on Connect in the “Coronavirus information for colleagues” page. This should be either handed or emailed to your manager for authorisation. Managers will need to check the timesheet as normal and then submit to SBS by emailing SBS-S.383admin@nhs.net. Please note that this should be submitted by the relevant manager who has authorised signatory status. Please see note below regarding when absent from work and claiming enhancements. - Paying enhancements when absent from work
It has been agreed that if you are absent from work with COVID-19 or through self-isolation, any enhancements that you would have received will still be paid (normally these are not paid when absent). In these circumstances the attached timesheet must be completed with the relevant enhancements you would have received and the two columns relating to COVID-19 ticked. This ensures that you are paid and that the payment is correctly costed. This also relates to those on HealthRoster that are absent and would not normally complete a timesheet – a timesheet for the enhancements due only while absent should be completed, with all other payments being paid as normal through HealthRoster. - Paying additional hours, overtime and enhancements for COVID-19-related work (those not on HealthRoster and those colleagues who have been redeployed)
If staff are working overtime, additional hours or enhancements due to COVID-19 e.g. to cover someone who is absent from work for a COVID-19-related reason, then the hours should be recorded. The document is available on Connect in the “Coronavirus information for colleague’s page submitted to the manager and then emailed to SBS at SBS-S.383admin@nhs.net. It is vital that this is recorded on the monthly timesheet by ticking the first COVID-19 box.
No, this type of absence will not count towards attendance policy triggers.
No, the updated national guidance from Public Health England advises people to self-isolate for seven or 14 days without contacting 111 or their GP.
If you are not able to take your annual leave due to unavoidable sickness, you are off sick, not on annual leave.
For more information on annual leave and the possibility of carrying it over, please see Annual Leave and International Travel in the Employee Information section of this site.
Yes. If they are asked to self-isolate or contract the virus they should contact the Resourcing team who will report this. Failure to report this may result in a shift not being paid.
Bank staff who are self-isolating in line with the national guidance will be paid for those shifts that have already been booked if they are unable to attend work. We would ask Bank colleagues to please continue to communicate with the Bank team so that they are able to book you back onto shifts when you are able to return to work.
This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis as and when necessary and following our usual process for signing off overtime. Part-time staff would only be paid overtime rates when hours have exceeded 37.5 hours.
Health Education England has issued a letter, recognising that there may be exceptional circumstances when doctors in training may be required to offer assistance/support outside of their usual training pathway and contracted duties.
