Nurses who have left the NHS for the private sector?

[djewkes]

I left the NHS as i was basically pushed out with reorganisation (was awful), I did a year managing a pub and 2 in a nursing home before starting my current role (111)...
You need to make sure you get the training and reflective supervision needed for maintaining your registration... may need to pay for this in the private sector.
The organisation I work for is allied to the NHS and pay and conditions mirror the NHS (pay is better, and staff nicer) but it’s not directly NHS if that makes sense. They provide training and support, and tbh in my experience is a totally different culture to the NHS. They have allowed me to work from home on a bank contract, basically I pick and choose when I want to work. For a nurse of my rather mature years (65 in May) it’s brilliant...
But be careful where you go, the nursing home was not good and agency can be hit and miss... if you don’t mind covering shifts at places you don’t know at short notice (maybe that’s just my experience) then it might suit...

[PoohBears#1fan]

Originally Posted by djewkes

I left the NHS as i was basically pushed out with reorganisation (was awful), I did a year managing a pub and 2 in a nursing home before starting my current role (111)...
You need to make sure you get the training and reflective supervision needed for maintaining your registration... may need to pay for this in the private sector.
The organisation I work for is allied to the NHS and pay and conditions mirror the NHS (pay is better, and staff nicer) but it’s not directly NHS if that makes sense. They provide training and support, and tbh in my experience is a totally different culture to the NHS. They have allowed me to work from home on a bank contract, basically I pick and choose when I want to work. For a nurse of my rather mature years (65 in May) it’s brilliant...
But be careful where you go, the nursing home was not good and agency can be hit and miss... if you don’t mind covering shifts at places you don’t know at short notice (maybe that’s just my experience) then it might suit...

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Thank you, we have a private day surgery unit here that does clean up for NHS so despite being private 70% of their patients are NHS and the follow the same banding/training, they run their own bank and you tell them each month which days you're available for. That's one of my options, my other is the private specialist clinic which is quite stand alone in what it does.

Decisions, I have interviews for both at the end of the month so we'll see, I may not have any options at all!

[djewkes]

There is a lot of bad press surrounding zero hours contracts (bank) but it suits me fine, I still get holiday pay based on the hours I work and for the first time in donkeys years I had Christmas off...
Also consider your NHS pension...

[munmun]

I left the NHS and went into research posts both commercial drug company research managing and working on clinical trials and later I managed university research project s that involved patient recruitment and care.

Both of these jobs were good moves, well paid and good working hours, they involved some foreign travel to meet patients and go to conferences etc.

There are plenty of good jobs about for nurses but you need to think outside the run of the mill posts.

[lizzie145]

Originally Posted by PoohBears#1fan

Thank you, that's a very good point about maintaining registration, I hadn't even considered that. I'd still be screening and taking blood but have no idea if that's enough to meet NMC requirements, may give them a call and bring it up at interview

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You do not have to be doing clinical work to maintain your registration, think about the director of nursing, CQC staff etc. It is about how your role fits the NMC code.
Plus it is only 450 hours in 3 years of work so not very much at all.


The NHS has good terms and conditions but often the private sector cant match it. Look at the sickness policy as this would most likely be much less, also think about annual leave entitlement- often less.

Plus what is the pension scheme like, especially if you are one of the few with special class status.

[PoohBears#1fan]

Originally Posted by djewkes

There is a lot of bad press surrounding zero hours contracts (bank) but it suits me fine, I still get holiday pay based on the hours I work and for the first time in donkeys years I had Christmas off...
Also consider your NHS pension...

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Having had a 16 year break in my NHS pension, I'm not too concerned about it as feel I'll have devalued it significantly anyway! I am leaning towards the zero hour contract and being my own boss again, it will really suit me, if I do have a choice of the 2, for me it's between doing something that really inspires me but at their beck and call, or being my own boss in something I'll enjoy.