From amicus - MSF
Head of Health, Gail Cartmail General Secretary, Roger Lyons
Reps Direct should be forwarded by email to other members and put in printed form on the notice boards for all to see, both members and non-members.
These are the questions raised by members in EI sites. The answers have been agreed by the staff and management secretariat of Agenda for Change.
Q41. When will a full list of nationally agreed job
profiles be available to all NHS organisations?
A. Nationally agreed profiles go through a rigorous process of
scrutiny by staff and management representatives working in
partnership to approve each and every profile. Approximately
160 nationally agreed profiles have been developed to date and
published on the DoH website at www.doh.gov.uk/agendaforchange
and a significant number of profiles are in the pipeline and
likely to be signed off in the near future. The process of
developing profiles will continue in the lead up to national
rollout planned for October 2004 to maximise the number of
staff covered by national profiles and reduce the need for time
consuming local job evaluations.
Q42. When will NHS organisations receive job evaluation
training?
A. Staff and managers in the Early Implementers have already
been trained in job evaluation. As training materials, case
studies and examples of how the Early Implementers have been
working become available, these will be posted on the
Modernisation Agency's website. They will also be provided in
master copy form to the Agenda for Change leads in each
strategic health community. Strategic Health Authorities will
nominate an agreed number of people who will be eligible for
the "Train the Trainer in Implementation" programmes. This will
be done in partnership with and will include Staff
Representatives.
Q43. Will there be a National Appeals Panel to deal with
unresolved local disputes over job evaluation?
A. There is no right of appeal beyond the review by a second
job evaluation panel. The postholder may pursue a grievance on
the grounds that the process has been misapplied, but not
against the outcome of the grading decision itself.
Q44. Is there any possibility that Agenda for Change will
repeat the problems associated with nurses' clinical
grading?
A. We are confident that it will not. Under Agenda for Change
basic pay is determined by using the new NHS job evaluation
scheme which is designed to ensure equal pay for work of equal
value. Job evaluation allocates staff to the new paybands by
measuring the knowledge, skills, effort and responsibilities
that staff require in post. The scheme has been developed and
tested in partnership between the Health Departments, trades
unions and NHS employer representatives. Nationally agreed job
profiles will provide staff with greater certainty about how
they will fit into the new pay structure and reduce the need
for local evaluations. A large number of job profiles have
already been developed and agreed in partnership with the
Unions and several more will be agreed in time for national
roll-out.
Q45. When will NHS organisations receive Knowledge and
Skills Framework / development review training?
A. Staff and managers in the Early Implementers have already
been trained in using the KSF. Nationally delivered training in
implementing the KSF will be cascaded to strategic health
community nominees, in partnership with the trades
unions.
Q46. Will the Knowledge and Skills Framework guarantee
all NHS staff a development review?
A. The KSF and the development review process have been
developed in partnership between NHS staff and NHS employer
representatives. The development review process will enable all
staff and managers to identify the knowledge and skills they
need to apply in post and help guide the development of
individual staff.
Q47. Aren't the Knowledge and Skills Framework 'gateways'
a barrier to pay progression?
A. No - the 'gateways' are not designed to act as a barrier to
pay progression. They are designed to help ensure a stronger
focus on developing the essential knowledge and skills needed
for NHS jobs.
In most years, pay progression will take the form of an annual increase in pay from one pay point in a pay band to the next unless there are serious concerns about how the individual is undertaking the current role. At two points in each pay band - known as 'gateways' - access to higher pay points will depend on staff demonstrating the application of knowledge and skills to a defined level.
The Foundation Gateway is designed to provide assurance that staff are demonstrating the appropriate knowledge and skills that need to be applied from the outset in a particular post coupled with planned development in the first 12 months of a post.
The Second Gateway, which is at a higher pay point, is designed to provide assurance that staff are demonstrating the knowledge and skills that need to be applied by someone fully developed in a post. Having gone through the second gateway, individuals would then progress to the top of the pay band provided they continue to apply the knowledge and skills contained in the KSF outline for the post.
Q48. Will NHS organisations receive full funding to
implement Agenda for Change?
A. Allocations to Primary Care Trusts for the next three years
already include full funding for Agenda for Change. We are
ensuring that NHS Local Delivery Plans properly reflect the
investment needed. PCTs and local NHS employers will be able to
assess the detailed financial requirements for each Trust, with
the help of central guidance and support.
Q49. Will any staff lose out financially under Agenda for
Change?
A. There need be no "losers" under Agenda for Change. There
are a number of mechanisms built into the agreement to help
prevent staff from losing out financially, both in the short
and longer term.
For the majority of staff, levels of pay will be higher under 'Agenda for Change' than before. In some cases, where levels of pay would otherwise be lower, staff will receive a recruitment and retention premium to reflect labour market conditions. In the minority of cases where pay protection is needed, current levels of pay will be protected until October 2009 for staff in early implementer sites and April 2011 for staff in national rollout.
As soon as possible during the period of protection, there will be a review of the skills, knowledge and role of staff subject to protection to establish whether they could be reassigned to a higher weighted job or offered development and training to fit them for a higher weighted job.
Q50. How will lessons from Early Implementer sites be
incorporated into Agenda for Change?
A. Agenda for Change is founded on the principle of
partnership working by NHS staff and NHS employer
representatives. The learning being gathered from the Early
Implementation phase will be used in two main ways. First, the
Modernisation Agency and best practice facilitators will
support strategic health communities in spreading learning
about how to implement Agenda for Change effectively and to
secure the maximum benefits for NHS patients and NHS staff.
Second, the evidence from Early Implementer sites will be used on a partnership basis to assess performance against the success criteria in Annex E of the 'Agenda for Change' agreement. If there is evidence in certain areas that the expected benefits are not starting to emerge, or if the risks identified are arising to a significant degree, the appropriate action will be discussed in the new NHS Staff Council. This may, for instance, include new guidance or variations to particular systems or rules within the new pay system. The Agenda for Change documentation will be revised prior to national rollout and published on the Modernisation Agency website at www.modern.nhs.uk/agendaforchange
Q51. When will all the Agenda for Change documentation
(eg. the Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook) be made
available to NHS organisations?
A. Once the learning from the Early Implementers has been
taken into account and the necessary amendments made, the
documentation will be made available to the NHS ahead of
national roll-out.
Q52. What will happen if either Amicus or Unison members
reject Agenda for Change in their second ballots next
year?
A. We welcome the high level of support indicated by the
ballot results to date. Partnership working will help to ensure
that any difficulties that arise before national rollout are
identified as early as possible and resolved by joint
working.
Q53. How will staff on local contracts be
affected?
A. Staff on national contracts, and other conditions of
service that incorporate national agreements on pay and
conditions of service, will transfer to the new system
automatically. Staff on local contracts will be offered the new
terms, but may retain their existing contract if they wish to
do so.
Q54. Will Early Implementer sites be able to achieve the
deadline for implementation?
A. Early implementer sites are continuing to aim to ensure as
far as possible that staff move to the new pay system by
December. However, the most important thing is to get
implementation right and to learn lessons for national rollout,
rather than force things through too quickly. Both at a
national and local level a lot of hard work is going on to
ensure that the system is implemented in a way that provides
maximum benefits for NHS patients and NHS staff.