Annual Leave
All bank workers accrue paid annual leave at the rate of 12.07% of each shift worked (excluding on call) and this is taken on a quarterly basis in line with national guidance.
Leave accrued between April – June must be taken between 1 July – 30 September.
Leave accrued between July– September must be taken between 1 October- 31 December.
Leave accrued between October– December must be taken between 1 January- 31 March.
Leave accrued between January– March must be taken between 1 April- 30 June.
There will be no backdated payment made in lieu of accrued annual leave not claimed in the relevant quarter, so please ensure you regularly take the leave you have accrued.
If you have a concurrent substantive employment, you must have 5.6 weeks (28 days) each year in which you do not work for NHS Lothian. You are unable to work during a period of annual leave from the Staff Bank, therefore we would suggest that you book bank annual leave when you are also on annual leave or on days off in your substantive post.
The statutory annual leave allowance of 5.6 weeks (28 days) is based on a working week of 36 which equates to 201.6 hours (pro rata) per annum. Annual leave is usually calculated at 7.2 hours per day.
Unfortunately, there is no mechanism in the payroll system for annual leave hours to be identified separately from other basic hours appearing on the same payslip. Please contact a member of the team via email, who can advise the amount of annual leave you have accrued each quarter.
To book annual leave please email the team who will be happy to process your request or help with any queries. Please put Annual Leave as the subject title and include your full name as it is recorded on our system in your email. This request must be made via email so that there is an audit trail of your request. If you are cancelling annual leave, please also email a member of the team as soon as possible. Failure to do so will result in an overpayment.
Other Leave
You may be entitled to Statutory Maternity leave and pay subject to meeting certain criteria. Further information is available in NHS Lothian’s Maternity leave Policy.
Please contact us to advise us of your pregnancy to allow us to offer further guidance and support.
Pay
You can opt to be paid weekly or monthly. Shifts are signed off electronically by authorised staff in each department who can evidence that you have worked the shift. Shifts signed off before 9am on a Thursday are paid the following Thursday (If you opt for weekly pay). If you opt for monthly pay you will be paid on the last Thursday of the month in arrears (i.e. shifts worked in February will not be paid until the end of March). Your pay will be transferred by BACS directly to your bank account. You can check if your shift has been authorised for payment by checking your Employee Online account. We recommend contacting the department you worked in if you notice that the shift is still to be signed off.
In line with NHS Lothian, Bank Workers can access their payslips through the intranet.
Bank Medical Pay Rates 2025-26.pdf
Sick Pay
You may be entitled to SSP, subject to a 13 week qualifying period of continuous employment with the Bank, only if Staff Bank is your only employment. You must be earning at a level where National Insurance contributions are payable on your Staff Bank income. If you have a substantive post, or work elsewhere, please claim SSP through them. You cannot claim from both. If you qualify to receive SSP via Staff Bank please send the original sick line from your GP. Copies or emails will no longer be accepted.
Overtime
How many hours a week can I work?
NHS Lothian complies with the Working Time Regulations. This means that you are only able to work a maximum of 48 hours per week over any rolling 17-week period.
However, any hours over 36 must be discussed with a Supplementary Staffing Manager to ensure you do not exceed 144 hours over a 4-week roster period.
On occasion, some workers may be asked to work more than 36 hours in a week to support a clinical need or to provide continuity of care. Any such requests must be discussed and agreed with a Supplementary Staffing Manager. This is to ensure that staff receive the statutory rest time and do not move into overtime rates without manager approval.
Expenses
Claiming expenses is only applicable to bank workers who are required to use their own personal car during a bank shift, and you must be required to move to different locations during your shift. Expenses cannot be claimed for travelling to and from the work base.
As per the expenses policy, expenses need to be claimed within 3 months of working the bank shift. Any expenses claimed after this will be rejected.
If you are eligible to apply for expenses, please send email a copy of the below information to: loth.staffbankahp-other@nhs.scot
copy of driving licence (front and back)
car insurance stating business use (to and from a place of work is not acceptable)
MOT if applicable
A completed fleet form
Expense forms must be signed by bank worker and a manager of the area they worked in. An electronic signature will not be accepted.
Please ensure the date(s) you are claiming for match the shifts you have worked. Shifts must be confirmed as worked on the system to be processed.
Expenses are sent to the Payroll team on a Tuesday to be processed.
