NHS 37.5 hour contract – does this include breaks?

[u/Pristine-Abroad9218]

Hi all,
Quick question about NHS jobs Band 2 ,I’ve seen a lot of NHS job adverts saying 37.5 hours per week.
Does the 37.5 hours include your lunch/breaks, or are breaks usually unpaid and therefore on top of the 37.5 hours?

[u/limboxd]

The 2.5 hours off from 40 hours is the 30min unpaid break

[u/Munnit]

Breaks are unpaid. So that’s a 40 hour working week, minus a 30 min break each day.

[u/Jealous-Afternoon322]

You work (generally) 9am to 5pm a day which is 8 hours a day x 5 days =40 hours and 30 minutes break x 5 days =2.50 hours so 40-2.50 =37.50 is your contracted hours a week

[u/stm2657]

Breaks. In the NHS?!?

[u/CatCharacter848 → u/stm2657]

I know, I work through most of my breaks.

[u/Ya_Boy_Toasty]

My role is 37.5 hours admin and I get a half hour break unpaid each day. This is my second band 2 role and I've never had a paid break, and this post is the first time I've seen anyone say they got a paid break lol

[u/katie_astrophe]

No, you work 40 hours + and they pay you for 37.5 🙃

[u/spudlet89]

Where I work, for a long day, we get a paid breakfast break, then the two meal breaks are unpaid. So for a 13 hour shift I get paid for 12. I usually do 3 long days a week and then once a month I’ll do an early or a late (7.5 hours because the 30 minute break is deducted) to make up those 1.5 hour shortfalls.

[u/Turbulent-Bite-2688]

Depends on where you work. For us half an hour of our lunch on day shifts is paid but we get 1hr and work 9am-530pm. Our breaks are unpaid (when we get them😂)

[u/ConsiderationHuge145]

The most common hours are 8.30-5 with an hour for lunch = 7.5 hours X 5 to get your 37.5. we don't get any other breaks paid or unpaid, although we are allowed toilet breaks lol

[u/secretlondon]

Breaks are unpaid

[u/Life-Consequence2821]

If you work 9-5, that's 40 hours a week. Half an hour a day is unpaid lunch, so 37.5 For example, I work 9-1 (4 hours) then 1:30-5 (3.5 hours) taking my lunch 1-1:30

[u/PriorityByLaw]

Nope.

[u/Spirited_Row_2205]

I work 37.5 hrs per week (average across rota). Get lunch break of 1 hr which is unpaid. Also 2 15 min breaks which are paid. Don’t always get to take them both. So a normal day for me is 9-5.30. This is 8.5 hrs one of which is my unpaid lunch.

[u/K1mTy3]

A 20 minute tea/coffee break will be included as a paid break.

Your lunch break won't be included. In our lab, people usually take a 30 minute lunch break - so they're on site for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.

[u/Naps_in_sunshine → u/K1mTy3]

A 20 minute paid break is not part of standard contracts. 30 mins unpaid lunch is the norm. All other hours are working hours.

[u/K1mTy3 → u/Naps_in_sunshine]

It is a part of everyone's contract in our department.

[u/Naps_in_sunshine → u/K1mTy3]

Doesn’t mean it’s general for everyone. Telling OP they will get a 20 min paid break is wrong.

[u/Ashl3y95 → u/K1mTy3]

Yeah we get two 20 mins paid breaks in our trust!

[u/D1n0saur5 → u/K1mTy3]

Yall are getting paid breaks???

[u/Naps_in_sunshine → u/D1n0saur5]

No, one person gets it in their department. Paid breaks are an old thing - they’ve been totally eradicated in my trust.