Can flexible trainees insist on doing on-call?
In general, a flexible training programme should be equivalent, pro rata, to a full-time programme, and this applies to on-call. Thus, if you are working 60% of full-time, you should be doing roughly 60% of the on-call. However, since the introduction of the new pay bandings, there has been pressure on some flexible trainees to do little or no on-call in order to reduce costs. The bottom line on these decisions is that the training programme must be approved for training, and if this requires on-call, then on-call must be included. Where it is possible to obtain experience of emergency work with normal working hours, some colleges are prepared to accept this, but this must be agreed before starting the post and in writing. If on-call is not required for training approval, there is no compulsion upon the trust to provide this.
