Roymondo:
I’m not going to quote your whole post, Winseer - But your issue appears to be with salaried vs hourly paid rather than the specific problem under discussion of NHS. The answer to that one is simple - Don’t use POA. If that causes low-level grief from your employer then either deal with that or move on.As for your original suggestion that the use of POA should be banned on nights, (presumably along with rigid enforcement of the 10 hour working time limit - no opting-out), don’t you see that this could actually encourage blokes to drive while tired? e.g. If they’ve been delayed during the night and now find themselves with a 2 hour drive back to base with only a little more than 2 hours to go before their 10 hours “total time at work” is up, they’d be under pressure to keep going rather than doing the sensible thing and pulling in for a 30 minute snooze.
I would actually like to see rigid enforcement of “the ten hour rule on nights”.
Thing is, if you have no union and no workplace opt-out - it IS illegal at that particular office, but endemically remains a risk none the less. Overnight road closures of late for example are playing havoc with “getting the job done inside ten hours + a break’s time each night” I’m saying.
THIS time of year should really have either night jobs covered by agency OR full timers being withdrawn from 5 & 6 day weeks, and put onto 4 night shifts where there is built-in leeway (via being able to take extra breaks and correctly used POA) to not only get the job done safely, but get rid of “nodding dog” which is as much about “improper break opportunities” as it is about working too many hours at night.
At present, I can do exactly what you say as the “solution”, but I’m under pressure to get back earlier so I can have a decent daily rest gap before the next shift that, of course would bloody well be starting earlier the next 5th evening. Working all night on an extended shift due to road works AND then following it up with a minimum reduced rest - now THAT is the killer being set up for night night’s drive - isn’t it? 
I’m already in negotiations to try and get that troublesome 5th shift dropped outright, bringing me in line with the other night 4-shift drivers that I am covering as a FT floater. I didn’t have this bother on agency, as I could just sit the 5th out. “Take the 5th” - has a good ring to it don’t it?! 