WORKING for the NHS has proved to be the most costly 12 hours of one woman’s life.

Jackie Alford, 51, claims a misleading recruitment advertisement has cost her more than £1,000 in annual salary.

Mrs Alford, worked at Tesco’s Lunsford Park store, Larkfield, for more than four years when she applied to work for the NHS Frank Lloyd Home, Bell Road, Sittingbourne.

She said the advertisement for a support worker stated a salary of £10,375 for 20 hours per week, per annum - almost as much as she had been earning full-time at Tesco.

It was only on her first full day that she was told the pay was actually pro-rata, leaving her with less than half her previous income and the added burden of travel expenses.

"If there had been a mention of pro-rata at any time before I started I wouldn’t have taken the job," said Mrs Alford, of Marlowe Road, Larkfield.

"It was neither mentioned in the advert, interview nor the letter of acceptance. The first time I heard the words pro-rata was on my first day.

"I feel the NHS falsely misrepresented the job. I only worked for them for one day but they will be the most costly 12 hours of my life."

Tesco agreed to re-employ Mrs Alford but company policy meant she lost the salary and benefits she had accrued during the four years she worked there.

Not only has her income plunged by £1,400 per year, but she has also lost pension benefits, staff discount and holiday time.

"I am quite disgusted by the incompetence of the NHS," she said. "They really have messed me about and misrepresented the whole thing. Without Tesco I would be completely out of a job."

Michael Bukht, communications manager for the Swale Primary Care Trust, said it was sorry for the distress caused to Mrs Alford.

He said: "There is no question that the letter of employment was incorrect due to a clerical error and may have misled Mrs Alford.

"We will ensure she is treated justly and pay anything we owe her. We are investigating the circumstances so we can be clear of the detail."