About Agenda for Change
Agenda for Change (AfC) is a major Change Programme in the NHS across 4 countries which will modernise pay structures, assist service delivery of patient care, aid recruitment and retention and allow for personal development of staff. Work of Equal Value as assessed under a customised Job Evaluation Scheme will be recognised and paid accordingly. All elements of the system reflect partnership working with the unions, design, testing, implementation and monitoring.
In 2003 the Scottish Pay Reference and Implementation Group (SPRIG) established four pilot sites to carry out ‘dry run’ testing of various aspects of the Agenda for Change pay system, as a complement to the 12 Early Implementation (EI) sites established in England.
A UK-wide review of Agenda for Change (AfC) concluded that subject to agreement, Agenda for Change would be implemented from 1 December 2004 with an effective date for pay and conditions of 1 October 2004, with the exception of the proposed arrangements for pay enhancements for staff working unsocial hours. Agreement was reached to implement Agenda for Change following second ballots by some Trades Unions and the Agreement was signed, in partnership, on 24 November 2004. There is an ongoing review of unsocial hours which will take effect from 1 April 2006. In the interim a temporary arrangement is in place to continue to pay current rates for unsocial hours.
The new pay system will apply to all directly employed NHS staff, except doctors and dentists and the most senior managers at or just below board level.
Over a million employees in the UK will participate in this major change. (150,000 in Scotland). 17 different sets of Whitley conditions which have governed staff pay since the inception of the NHS will be reduced to 3 Pay Spines with 9 new pay bands. One set of terms and conditions will apply to all staff groups.
The staff booklet Agenda for Change: What will it mean for you? provides an overview of the new Agenda for Change pay system and what it means to staff in NHS Scotland. Copies of the guide have been distributed to all organisations across NHS Scotland.
Full details of the new pay structure are documented in the final version of the Agenda for Change Agreement.
Further information on the background to Agenda for Change can be found in the document Archives section.
The New Pay Structure
There will be nine pay bands (see Table 1) and several pay points within each pay band. Individual posts will be placed in the correct pay band using the new NHS Job Evaluation Scheme by either:
- Matching the job to national profile, or
- A local job evaluation
| Band | Minimum* | Maximum* |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £11,135 | £12,147 |
| 2 | £11,508 | £14,278 |
| 3 | £13,266 | £15,877 |
| 4 | £15,504 | £18,647 |
| 5 | £18,114 | £23,442 |
| 6 | £21,630 | £29,302 |
| 7 | £26,106 | £34,417 |
| 8 Range A | £33,298 | £39,958 |
| 8 Range B | £38,786 | £47,949 |
| 8 Range C | £46,671 | £57,539 |
| 8 Range D | £55,941 | £69,260 |
| 9 | £66,063 | £83,546 |
*These figures are based on 2004/05 rates and exclude the temporary transitional points which will only be used in moving staff on to the new system.
This process will include discussions with individuals or representative individuals and managers to properly establish the demands of each job.
The New Job Evaluation Scheme
The NHS Job Evaluation Scheme is a means of fairly rewarding people by measuring their job-related skills, knowledge and responsibilities. The scheme has been developed especially for NHS staff and will be used to help ensure that staff receive equal pay for work of equal value.
The detailed assessment of each post using the Job Evaluation Scheme will determine the correct pay band for each post, and so the correct basic pay.
Many jobs have been evaluated nationally and can be used for matching posts to the new pay bands. These are available on the Department of Health website.
The aim is to have matched most staff to their new pay bands by 31 March 2005 and to have completed the assimilation of staff to the new system no later than the end of September 2005.
For more information on the implementation of the Job Evaluation Scheme please see the Job Evaluation section.
The New Terms and Conditions
There will be one set of terms and conditions applying to all staff groups. These new conditions will include harmonised hours of work, annual leave, public holiday entitlement and overtime payments. From the 1 April 2006 there will be a new agreement for paying staff for working during unsocial hours. If your terms and conditions are very different in the new system, you will be given an agreed period of time to make the changes.
Harmonisation of hours
From 1 December there will be a phased move to a standard working week for all full time staff of 37½ hours per week, excluding meal breaks.
Overtime Payments
All staff in pay bands 1-7 will be eligible for overtime payments for work in excess of the standard 37½ hours working week. There will be a single harmonised rate of time and a half for all overtime, with the exception of work on the eight public holidays, which will be paid at double time.
Senior staff in bands 8 and 9 will not be entitled to overtime payments.
Annual Leave
Staff will receive the following entitlement to annual leave:
- On appointment
- 27 days + 8 days public holidays
- After 5 years service
- 29 days + 8 days public holidays
- After 10 years service
- 33 days + 8 days public holidays
There will be a five year protection period for annual leave entitlements that exceed the new harmonised entitlements.
For more information on the new terms and conditions please see the Terms and Conditions section.
The Knowledge and Skills Framework
The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework is a tool which provides a means of recognising the skills and knowledge that a person needs to apply to be effective in a particular NHS post. The framework will be applicable across the range of posts in the NHS ensuring better links between education and development and career and pay progression.
For more information the KSF please see the KSF section
Implementation in Scotland
The Scottish Pay Reference and Implementation Group (SPRIG) consists of representatives from SEHD, NHSScotland management, and trades unions and has a remit to oversee the implementation of Agenda for Change within Scotland. SPRIG recognise that there will be some issues specific to NHSScotland which are not in the national agreement. SPRIG will work to identify these issues and ensure that appropriate guidance is produced and attached to the Terms and Conditions Handbook for Scotland.
Information about SPRIG including Action Points from all the meetings are available on the SPRIG section.
Realisation of Benefits
Benefits for NHS staff from Agenda for Change include fairer pay, better pay, and better career development through the new Knowledge and Skills Framework. For the NHS benefits include greater innovation in the deployment of staff, and improved recruitment and retention. The new system will lead to higher levels of knowledge and skills in the workforce, better trained and motivated staff, and jobs and services designed around the needs of patients. These developments should manifest themselves in more patients being treated, more quickly, and to a higher quality. As with the consultant contract, evidence on Health Boards implementation of Agenda for Change will form an important part of the overall Performance Assessment Framework (PAF) process. Within each Health Board, Pay Modernisation Boards will be expected to ensure that the benefits of the new system are realised.
In terms of the benefits to NHS staff outlined above, a number of measures are already in place within Boards to track the improvements expected from AfC. These include payroll systems (better pay), the new Computer Aided Job Evaluation System (fairer pay), number of staff with Personal Development Plans (better career development). It is anticipated that the benefits for the NHS as a whole (better deployment of staff, improved recruitment and retention) will be picked up as part of the PAF process. It should be noted that a number of these benefits will not come in to operation until the matching, evaluation, and assimilation processes associated with Agenda for Change are concluded.
SPRIG, as part of its role to oversee the implementation of the contract, will consider the realisation of the benefits outlined above. On a national level the New NHS Staff Council will be responsible for evaluating evidence on the benefits and risks associated with the agreement. If there is evidence of the expected benefits does not emerge, or if the risks identified are rising to a significant degree, the appropriate action should be discussed by the NHS Staff Council. The appropriate actions may include any matter within the normal powers of the Council including new guidance on interpretation, implementation, or if necessary agreed variations to particular systems or rules within the new pay system.
Further Information
For further information on the Agenda for Change pay system in your area please contact your Agenda for Change Project Manager (see the Project Managers Contact page for details), Human resources (HR) team or local union representative.
Alternatively for general information on the national implementation of the Agenda for Change system in Scotland you can e-mail the National AfC Pay Modernisation Team or call 0141 242 5851 . Full details of the National team are provided on the AfC Project Team page.
Further Information on the implementation of Agenda for Change across the other 3 countries can be found at the following websites:
Additional information and resources can be found on the majority of union or institute web sites.
