What if the appointment is for an unpaid honorary post?
Unpaid appointments are exempt where the person to be appointed is to receive no remuneration in respect of the tenure of the post and is: • a member of the academic staff of a university • a consultant who is over the age of 65 • a mental health officer who is over the age of 60 • a person who is wholly or mainly engaged in research who requires his or her appointment to the staff of a Trust • a medical practitioner who has been appointed to a post in a hospice which is equivalent to a consultant post in the health service It is important that a Trust proposing to grant an honorary contract satisfies itself as to the practitioner’s competence to carry out the clinical duties required; the employer carries out the same liability in law for the actions of its honorary staff as it does for its paid staff. An honorary appointee must also be on the specialist register.
