SOLIDARITY Trade Union has hit out at National Health Service bosses in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust – the largest Trust in Northern Ireland.

New rules relating to the authorisation of Travelling and Incidental Expenses forms were introduced by the Trust at the beginning of September.  However, many workers were not told about this until the very last minute.  This has led to administrative chaos, uncertainty, and the possible delay in payments of mileage allowances.

NHS staff who have to travel to perform their duties record their journeys on a Travelling and Incidental Expenses form.  They then submit these to senior staff – usually their line manager - for authorisation.  This arrangement is logical and perfectly acceptable.  It has been in place for many years.  Once authorised, the Travel forms go on to the Finance Department who arrange payment.

Solidarity has been told that under the new rules some senior staff now can’t authorise Travel forms.  However, some junior staff can!  This doesn’t make any sense at all.

Additionally, no-one appears to have been told in advance of this change.  Forms have been returned to workers asking them to get different authorising signatures.  This has caused administrative chaos throughout the Belfast Trust.

One Belfast Trust worker told Solidarity that "the bosses who dream up such ideas are generally very clever.  They have numerous university degrees.  However they don’t seem to have any common sense.  They don’t seem to think a problem through.  Neither do they consult with people who are affected by such a change – those who fill in Travel forms Travel forms or those who have to administer the changes".

Solidarity recognises that the NHS is generally over-worked under-staffed.  Morale at the Belfast Trust in particular is very low. 

Solidarity General Secretary Patrick Harrington said:

“There must be proper consultation before anything new like this is introduced.  Change without consultation can cause chaos.  This does nothing for staff morale.  Belfast Trust bosses would have been better talking to those at the ‘coal face’ on how to introduce this new authorisation scheme.

Because NHS workers are lower paid, many people rely on Travel claim to keep their cars on the road.  Others put the money towards their rent or their mortgage. 

The bosses should make sure that this mess is sorted out as quickly as possible.  Some workers might now be significantly out of pocket and that is simply not acceptable”.