Easy Money?

Easy Money: Where to get it?  Financial Markets or The Public Sector...?

Faceless Bureaucrat:  The fact that today I write as Faceless Bureaucrat rather than in my Bad Assed Trader ego should set your warning lights flashing regarding my blog title.  Where is this “easy” money?  In the financial markets or the public sector??

I don’t think it’s possible to make “easy” money as a trader, maybe there are exceptions to this but to me it seems to be a very tough job.  But thrilling nonetheless and I will blog more about my progress in a few days’ time.

Instead today Faceless Bureaucrat was bursting to speak about “easy” money in the NHS, bursting because in my 20+ years I have never known anything like it.

People think that NHS managers are getting a hard time under our Coalition Government.  They think that we’re losing our jobs in our thousands and that this must be naffing us off on a majorly large scale.  They couldn’t be further from the truth and I have to put it on record.

We’ve been through countless reorganisations before.  Personally I’ve been reorganised and forced to apply for my job or something similar in 1995, 2002, 2006 and again now.  Every time previously we’ve been told that redundancy is unlikely and it’s never felt anywhere near me – a very small number of people might get dropped but the ethos was generally that a similar volume and type of work still needs to be done, we’ll just be sitting in a different office under a different NHS organisational name doing something fairly similar.

We’d spend a whack of money and a chunk of time planning and executing the reorganisation, re-establishing everything and just have time to get our feet under the new table and proper systems and processes in place before it was time to play musical chairs again. The politicians keep the managers in jobs with their constant need for change when in reality they just want to be seen to be taking action, who else will actually make these "changes" happen?

The changes being proposed by this Government appeared radical at first (less so now, that’s for sure) but the really big difference was going to be the huge cuts in management numbers – something approaching 50% for those in the commissioning side of the NHS (as opposed to the providing side eg hospitals).

Fairly quickly it has become apparent that the Government and Department of Health were serious about “being seen” to cut these numbers.  So you will hear that thousands of NHS managers have lost their jobs. But in reality something much more interesting is going on behind the scenes.  Interesting and gob smacking, even for a seasoned NHS faceless bureaucrat such as I.

Managers who were relatively new to the NHS and not qualified for redundancy pay have taken one of two paths.  Most, like members of my old team at work, found themselves jobs in the private sector.  Every one of those that I know has found a job on better pay or conditions to their previous NHS job.  They were a talented bunch, now lost to the NHS.  They won’t be back to make that mistake again.  

A tiny number of the newbies have forgiven the NHS for threatening them with redundancy and are seeking other NHS employment – I don’t know as many of these and the outcomes are less certain. 

But most of the NHS managers I know have been in the service for more than 2 years and do qualify for a decent redundancy package (1 months’ pay for every year of service up to a maximum of 24 years).  People think NHS managers are a dull lot, risk averse, basically faceless bureaucrats just like me.  You’d be surprised at how sharp this lot are at spotting the “easy” money and taking it.

NHS managers know how to play the game and our head honcho, David Nicholson (NHS Chief Exec) told us in coded language that the booty was out.  He said “If you want to leave the NHS now is the time.   If you want to stay for the transition, there will be roles to do this and if you want to continue to work for the NHS there will be lots of opportunities in the new organisations.”

What he was telling us was that this time it’s different.  This time you can actually get a redundancy package, the Government want us off the books.  And yet, there will be opportunities in the future.  So if you want to take a redundancy package now is the time, and chances are you can get right back into NHS work after serving your mandatory month outside the NHS (required if you are to keep your big pay off).

And this is what I have been witnessing time and again.  Not the odd isolated incident but I’ve heard of numerous cases at all levels: national and local, particularly amongst the senior staff, NHS managers trousering massive redundancy packages (we’re talking £100k plus), spending a month on holiday and then coming back to their previous job in a private capacity or even employed by another NHS organisation, to do the very same work.  Amazing.

And what a deal.  The employee is happy as they’re still doing the same job and they’ve had a month off and a great big pay cheque.  The employer is happy as they haven’t lost the valued manager, their work still gets done and they didn’t have to pay the big cheque as it came from a central pot. 

It seems this Government are not so hot on housekeeping with the tax payer’s money after all.

And the really bizarre thing is that there’s a chance that cynical little me may also benefit in this way as already opportunities are starting to come forth for me, following my own impending redundancy, to continue working for the NHS in a private capacity doing work similar to my previous role/s.  I’d be mad to refuse, wouldn’t I?

More from Bad Assed trader shortly - still struggling to find any money, let alone the easy sort....