If anyone spots any errors in these pages, please let me
know.
Liz Panton - email:
These are all the agreed profiles to date. They represent a
reasonable "spread" of posts, and are much better than the
first draft profiles (see SLT-AFC.Latest-Info.com web site if you want
to compare). These are the profiles that will be "tested" in
Early Implementer (EI) sites.
COMMENTS
It is difficult, but we need to look at the profiles
separately from pay scales. There are good
and bad things about the profiles without considering pay.
Imagine, the pay is halved, or the pay is doubled, you will
feel differently about where you think your post fits, but
that is all to do with pay, not the profiles.
A "basic" SLT post starts on Band 5. If you look at
other posts on Band 5, this is a good start.
Many SLTs should be able to get on to Band 6
The "Band 4 gap" between SLT Clinical Support Worker
(CSW) and SLT posts presents a number of opportunities for
further negotiation. For example: filling in the rungs on a
"career escalator" progression from unqualified to
qualified status; rewarding CSWs with specialist skills,
such as support for working with patients and carers who
use other languages.
There is a strong emphasis on R&D. Combined with
appraisals under the "Knowledge and Skills Framework", this
provides leverage for funding for time for research. This
will become more and more important, as services with a
good evidence base will be in a better position to compete
for funds.
The "Consultant" and "Principal" posts in Band 8 do not
require "line management" responsibilities - these kick in
only with the "Professional Manager" posts.
The "Professional Manager" profiles are dodgy. There is
no requirement for state registration (ie. a clinical
qualification). Clinical responsibilities are no more, and
are likely to be less, than a Clinical Support Worker.
These are, effectively, "general management" posts. As far
as I am aware there was no consultation on these profiles.
Unless they are amended, or genuine "professional"
manager, as opposed to "professional manager",
profiles are created, through "testing" in the EI sites, we
stand to lose these posts from our career structure
nationally. SLT Managers in the EI sites are aware of this.
In the spreadsheet below you will see that I have added a
hypothetical "Consultant-Manager" post as an example of how
this gap might be filled in the scoring.
Three "Professional Manager" profiles are available,
theoretically. In practice, the highest scoring is unlikely
to apply to more than an handful, if any, SLTs.
PAY and HOURS are
big issues. On pay, we need to fight for
application of the Recruitment and Retention Premia, not
fiddle the books and bump up the grades because we are
desperate to get and keep people. On hours, the union has
promised us a 35 hour week campaign, and we must not let
that slip forgotten through our fingers.