A Reservist is someone who is passionate about patient care, working with diverse teams and can help the NHS during peak times and emergencies.

You may be a former health care professional, working in health care outside the NHS or currently working as part of a vaccination team or hub and keen to continue supporting your local clinic or hospital. You may even have no healthcare experience but be keen to develop these skills.

You might be considering a career change and interested in a NHS career. Becoming a Reservist is a great way to experience the range of NHS career opportunities that suits your lifestyle and circumstances.

As an NHS Reservist you will be part of a paid, flexible yet reliable workforce who will be given thorough training relevant to your role. This forms part of a comprehensive induction process and will prepare you to support your local vaccination centre, acute hospital, health clinic or GP surgery.

What types of roles will be on offer?

The roles will differ and depending on the demand, surge times and also the roles available at your local NHS organisation. Potential roles on offer are Band 3 Administrator (non-clinical), Band 3 Health Care Assistant, Band 5 Staff Nurse/RHCPs, helping to run hospital wards, providing administrative support to wards, or supporting basic patient feeding and hydration.

Relevant training will be provided (online, face to face and on the job) as part of your induction and you will be part of a supportive network of local Reservists.

NEL Reservist will also be looking to expand the administrative and support roles on offer such as ward clerking, stewarding patients in busy clinics, replenishing linens and protective equipment, and receiving supplies to wards and clinics. These roles are as equally important to support our front-line clinical colleagues to deliver great patient care.

No matter what your role, you will be part of a Reservist community, working with like-minded people, undertaking meaningful work and helping patients in your local community. You'll also support our permanent clinical staff who could be your friends, neighbours and former colleagues.

As a Reservist in North East London you will be required to fulfil paid shifts when required.

You will also have the option to attend ‘keeping in touch’ events with your fellow Reservists where you can share knowledge and celebrate success.

1. What is a Reservist?

A Reservist is a newly developed role to complement the existing NHS workforce, aimed at people who want to continue working for the NHS with a limited time commitment and seek an opportunity to deploy their experience and knowledge in a variety of health and social care settings.

2. What is the commitment?

As a Reservist, you would be required to work during NHS pressure periods, or whenever you are able to support the NHS. Usually, NHS Reservists would work up to 30 days a year.

3. Where will I be required to work?

The Reservist programme in North East London (NEL) comprises Acute, Mental Health and Community Trusts, Primary care and community pharmacies which may require workforce support.

4. Will I work alone or with others?

You will benefit from the knowledge and support of colleagues and will work with teams. There may be occasions where you will be deployed to cover a shift where demand for care is higher than usual and this will require you to work as part of a ward-based team.

5. What type of roles are there?

Roles on offer are Band 3 Administrator (non-clinical), Band 3 Health Care Assistant, Band 5 Staff Nurse/Registered Health Care Professional. However, as the programme grows we will be expanding the offer to other available roles.

6. I do not have NHS experience can I join the Reservist programme?

Absolutely. Reservist Programme has scope for many non-clinical administrator roles in North East London Trusts. All mandatory training will be provided before deployment. Other role-related skills will be acquired on the job.

7. Will I receive an induction or briefing before being deployed?

You will receive thorough training before being deployed. Local inductions will include a comprehensive briefing about uniform policy, wearing masks, use of PPE and other local protocols and where required, you will also undertake a shadow shift.

8. What is the length of a Reservist shift?

This will vary according to the shift requirements at the time and you will be notified in advance of committing to work the shift. You will be required to work a mix of day and evening shifts across the working week as well as weekends.

9. What happens during ‘keep in touch’ sessions?

Our keep in touch sessions will be both learning and socially themed and allow you the opportunity to meet fellow Reservists, share knowledge, experience and celebrate success.

10. What if I need to raise a concern during my deployed days?

Raising concerns is an essential part of the NHS Freedom to Speak Up campaign and there is a protocol in place for doing so. You will have access to our Retention Team and dedicated Reservist Manager who can assist in investigating your concerns and providing all important pastoral care during your time as a Reservist.

11. What if I want to work more frequently and in a specialist role?

If your desire is to work in a more specialist role and more frequently, our Bank staffing services will allow you to do that in a number of locations in community, mental health, social care and acute settings. We can refer you to ‘Join the Bank’ scheme, which is a straightforward process.

12. Why not simply sign up to the Bank staffing?

The Reservist programme is not a replacement for Bank staff work, however it is a ground breaking programme, the first of its kind in the NHS in England, allowing you to utilise years of acquired knowledge and experience in a dedicated way, working on a less frequent basis. The early adopters of the programme will help us to shape the future of the Reservist role and how this compliments the existing dedicated NHS workforce.

13. What will I be paid if I work as a Registered Nurse or Health Care Assistant (HCA) Reservist?

Pay arrangements for Reservist workers will be hourly rates as follow. For any pay queries, please write to elft.nelreservists@nhs.net

Band 3 - £11.67 + HCA (High Cost allowance depending on the location + WTD (12.07%)

Band 5 - £14.53 + HCA (High Cost allowance depending on the location + WTD (12.07%)

14. Does working as a Reservist affect my tax?

The tax position for each individual will be different as this depends if you have other roles outside of the programme, receive a pension or other income. We are not able to give you individual advice regarding your tax position and you should consult HMRC for clarity. Please contact HMRC by telephone 0300 200 3300 and keep your National Insurance number handy.

15. Do I receive overtime for Reservist shifts where I work an average of over 37.5 hours per week?

Reservists would be paid per hour for any shifts worked outside of the assigned hours.

16. How will I get payment for my Reservist hours worked?

This will be automatically generated from the electronic rostering system once the worked shift has been verified/finalised for payment.

17. What period does weekly pay cover?

Payments is per week. Payment is for Friday to the following Thursday. All shifts completed within a week must be authorised by managers the following Friday. For example, if the working week begins Friday and ends Thursday, your Manager will approve your hours on Friday and it is then sent through to payroll on the following Monday, and you would receive your payment the following Friday.

18. What if my circumstances change and I need to stop working or increase my working days?

We fully appreciate that individual circumstances change and you can pause or resign from your Reservist assignment. If you wish to work more frequently we can look to convert your assignment to join Bank staffing and this will give you the flexibility to do so.

19. What pre-employment checks need to take place?

Before you can start work as a Reservist, we need to satisfy a number of pre-employment checks including DBS, verifying professional registration, proof of address and right to work in the UK. The programme will meet the cost of the DBS.

20. Do I need health clearance to work in specific areas of the hospital?

Pre-employment screening will be undertaken as part of the pre-employment checks with our Occupational Health team. Relevant clearance and immunisations will be arranged before you undertake work.

21. I have a health condition and am concerned about how my health may be impacted by working as a Reservist, what should I do?

You will need to be referred to our Occupational Health Services who will advise.

22. How will my time be managed as a Reservist?

Your deployed days will vary according to demand, this may involve a block booking of days or single working days on a sporadic basis. Our team will work with you to understand your availability.

It is important that you make sure you have sufficient time off from work to have a healthy balance between work and home life. This means that in line with working time regulations you should:

•  not be working more than an average of 48 hours per week
•  have an 11 hour gap between shifts
•  have one day a week off or two days over a fortnight

23. Can I join the Reservist programme if I have a substantive post?

The most appropriate option would be to join Bank staffing if you already hold a substantive contract and wish to work additional shifts. This does not exclude you from enquiring about the Reservist programme, but you cannot work as a Reservist.

24. How do I find out what shifts/assignments are available for Reservists?

You should contact the Reservist Booking Coordinator or alternatively our team will contact you directly or through our CloudStaff booking system.

25. Professional registration and competencies?

As required by your Professional Regulator you have a professional responsibility to maintain your own professional registration and revalidation to practice safely and effectively.

26. Can I work in any ward/areas of the any hospital as a Reservist?

You can work in any clinical area providing you have the clinical competencies to practice safely and effectively. You will also need to have the relevant health clearance. On occasion when working as a Reservist, you may be required to work at different sites. Our reservist team can help with your queries.

27. How can I gain the necessary training to work in other localities of North East London?

To begin with, we will be listing the roles and training available depending on the demand. Our Learning and Development team will assist you in understanding the required clinical competencies to work in different environments/roles across the North East London region. For any queries related to the reservist programme, please contact elft.nelreservists@nhs.net.

28. Who do I need to contact to work as a Reservist?

Simply email elft.nelreservists@nhs.net and we will be in touch to guide you through the simple process of becoming a Reservist.

Who We Are

ELFT provides a wide range of community and inpatient services to children, young people, adults of working age, older adults and forensic services to the City of London, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Bedfordshire and Luton. We provide psychological therapy services to the London Borough of Richmond.

In addition, the Trust provides forensic services to the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge and Waltham Forest, and some specialist mental health services to North London, Hertfordshire and Essex.

The specialist Forensic Personality Disorder service serves North London.

The Trust recently acquired community services in Tower Hamlets and Bedfordshire.

Our registration with the Information Commissioner

We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office to process personal and special categories of data under the Data Protection Act 2018. Our registration number is Z5601596.

Our Data Protection Officer

Our Data Protection Officer makes sure we respect your rights and process your personal information according to the law. If you have any concerns or questions about how we look after your personal information please contact the Data Protection Officer, Chris Kitchener, email elft.dpo@nhs.net or 020 7655 4000.