DBA for NHS trust

[aburayyan]

hi friends,

Just wanted to ask, if anyone here are worked for any or is working for any NHS trust.
How do they treat the contractors...have heard many unpleasant stories..
and do they really pay well below the market rate??

[Kitten1978]

Hi,

I was contracting for the NHS for s while.

I enjoyed it. They treated me well and it lasted a long time which balanced out the fact they do pay lower than private industry.
But yes the work was interesting. People were great, I still keep in touch with them and I was there for 4 years!!

[jmo21]

I've worked in the NHS twice, once as a permie for a consultancy on an NHS led project, once as a contractor.

Both were great from a work point of view. I delivered them both on time and both projects were well received.

However, both times, sitting in an NHS office, I could see round me all the politics, bitching, cut backs and general low morale of the staff that you might expect in the NHS, and public sector in general.

The projects I was on were probably quite lucky to avoid all that stuff.

[DannyF1966]

Both my previous and current contract have been with NHS organisations, and I've enjoyed my experience so far. Both were extended multiple times, and the pay has been satisfactory from my point of view, but after reading some of the posts on these forums I think I've been setting my sights too low.

The day rate on my first contract was 50% more than the day rate on my permie job, and since the company was about to shut up shop the week after I left I was grateful for anything I could get my hands on. I'd definitely go back if they wanted me, but on my current rate of course.

[AMH]

worked at an NHS - I have never worked anywhere that has a so bloated IT department.
One small hospital had 4 IT staff + a manager. Another (Same NHS Trust) bigger hospital had a about a dozen IT Staff, 3 middle managers + an IT Manager... I have worked a lot in the Private Sector & its eye watering how much money must be thrown around just based on the IT side of things. These was assigned to only cover these 2x hospitals - I know they have an even bigger department that oversees the whole Trust with 20+ staff.