Almost five weeks in and things are moving on


Two emails from NHS Scotland today one inviting me to attend the Western General Hospital on Friday for ID verification, an ID badge and, hopefully, setting me up with IT access. The other frustratingly asked me to complete the Disclosure Scotland PVG check system, again. I have declined this request and sent a copy of the PVG Certificate I received from Disclosure Scotland a few days ago as a result of already going through this process.

I have also been given links to further local NHS Lothian core online training which I hope will mostly be covered by those that I have already undertaken for NHS Scotland. But if not I will repeat some of it again if necessary.

I am also trying to work out if I am to return to work via a fixed term contract or by bank shift work as each route has different people to contact to take this forward. I am aware of discussing these options over the course of the phone interview I had a few weeks ago and think that I expressed a preference for the staff bank route but I did also stress that I was flexible and I think that it was left open but I cannot be sure. I have asked for clarification from NHS Lothian on their understanding of this.

The process has seemed at times painfully slow and labyrinthine from my perspective with two overlapping routes back, one via NHS Scotland and one via NHS Lothian. It has not always been easy to work out which bit of the NHS wants what piece of information and they have not always shared what they are doing with each other. But I am also aware of the monumental and unprecedented nature of this task. This will have been undertaken by a range of NHS staff across the country who will already have had full jobs to do before this process landed on their desks. Despite my frustrations on the speed, ambiguity and complexity of the process, not to mention the horrific terminology of begin onboarded, I am grateful to everyone involved in aiding me get back to help out with the NHS. Hopefully I am nearly there now and I think it may not be unreasonable to hope that I might, just might, be able to start back some time next week.

Once again, fingers crossed and watch this space.

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