Sobbing teenagers, angry staff and threats: my week in NHS payroll

Monday

I arrive at my desk just as our manager approaches a colleague suffering from back pain and asks how she’s doing. She replies that she is in a lot of pain. Our manager responds: “I’m not interested; I’m asking if you’re going to meet your deadline. If you don’t complete your work by 10am you can explain to 5,000 people that they haven’t been paid due to your failure to do your job properly.”

I am personally responsible for the distribution of millions of pounds of public money: I pay domestic, portering, maintenance, clerical, nursing and medical staff, senior managers, chief executives and apprentices. My in-tray is brimming with timesheets, expenses claims and new starters to set up.

Among the 43 emails that have arrived over the weekend, there are queries about sickness entitlements, reports of unpaid enhanced hours, and a request for a salary advance “because I’ve spent all my money”.

Tuesday

A team member announces her pregnancy. We are happy for her but it means extra work for the rest of us. Any absences for maternity, paternity, sickness, career breaks and in many cases leavers, are dealt with by sharing out the workload among those of us still present.

I check reports, set up new starters and calm a sobbing teenager who thought she’d be paid the living wage rather than apprentice rate. I have four overpayments to calculate, all due to failure by departmental managers to inform us of two leavers, a reduction in someone’s contract hours and a member of staff suspended. I have to produce a report for each to pass to NHS fraud investigators. The managers apologise to me for the extra work, but leave me to deal with their upset and angry staff.

Wednesday

I plough through a huge report detailing changes to employee records made by HR and departmental managers. To do this thoroughly would take several days but I have an hour so a perfunctory scan and crossed fingers will have to suffice.

I receive a beautiful handmade thank you card from a grateful payee I arranged an urgent payment for after her manager forgot to send us her timesheet for a whole month of night shifts. It is the second one I have received in over 20 years in the job and it will be treasured. I am happy all day.

Thursday

An angry man calls and tells me his expenses payment is wrong again; he insists his claim detailed an overnight stay in a hotel and several hundred business miles. I fax him a copy which displays 22 miles and a 60p parking ticket. He tells me his sister-in-law works in HR at our trust and will have me fired.

Not speaking my mind when my managers and people are rude to me is difficult. Senior managers tell us we are there to support them, middle managers focus on their next promotion and the line managers carry their workload. Their frustration is not reported due to a culture of fear and blame, and is instead directed at us.

A colleague has the flu but is afraid to stay off as it will trigger a sickness review: three short absences in a year, or just one long-term can lead to job loss. I make her hot drinks and cover her work for her.

Friday

An electrical fault has affected our telephone line and for once it is quiet. The peace is short-lived. When the line is repaired, people accuse me of switching off my phone to stop them getting through. I calm each one down and deal with their problems and queries. I notice it is 6.30pm and I have been working for free for the last hour – again.

Some details have been changed

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Sobbing teenagers, angry staff and threats: my week in NHS payroll