The pay system is designed to:
- deliver fair pay for non-medical staff based on the principle of 'equal pay for work of equal value'
- provide better links between pay and career progression using the Knowledge and Skills Framework
- harmonise terms and conditions of service such as annual leave, hours and sick pay, and work done in 'unsocial hours'.
Allocating posts to pay bands
Staff are placed in one of nine pay bands on the basis of their knowledge, responsibility, skills and effort needed for the job. The assessment of each post, using the Job Evaluation Scheme (JES), determines the correct pay band for each post, and as a result, the correct basic pay. Within each pay band, there are a number of pay points. As staff successfully develop their skills and knowledge, they progress in annual increments up to the maximum of their pay band, At two defined "gateway points" on each pay band, pay progression is based on them demonstrating the applied knowledge and skills for that job.
Benefits of Agenda for Change
The pay system provides benefits for both staff and employers. For employers the system provides greater flexibility to enable them to:
- devise new ways of working that best deliver the range and quality of services required, to best meet the needs of patients
- design jobs around the needs of patients rather than around grading definitions
- define the core skills and knowledge they want staff to develop in each job
- pay extra to address local recruitment and retention difficulties.
For staff the key benefits include:
- a system that is fair and transparent
- recognition and reward for the skills and competencies staff acquire throughout their career
- harmonised conditions of service.
Role of NHS Employers
At a national level, NHS Employers pay and contracts team supports employers and the devolved administrations on the NHS Staff Council and its Executive. The NHS Staff Council is a partnership body and has overall responsibility for operation of the pay system in respect of NHS-wide non-medical terms and conditions.
NHS Employers also offers advice and guidance to organisations on a range of pay and terms and conditions issues.