AfC Job Evaluation

Job Evaluation (JE) is a major component of the Agenda for Change project. The purpose of the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme is to help:

  • ensure that all staff are rewarded fairly;
  • ensure that the NHS respects the principles of equal pay for work of equal value.

The JE scheme has been specifically developed for the NHS. The development has been undertaken by the Job Evaluation Working Party (JEWP), composing NHS employer representatives, staff side representatives and independent experts from across the United Kingdom supported by the Human Resources Directorate of the Department of Health in England.

The Job Evaluation Scheme measures jobs found in the NHS and provides a points score which will be used to allocate jobs to paybands and thereby determine levels of basic salary. The new pay structure will bring together jobs of similar score into common pay bands.

Full details of the background to the Job Evaluation process and the Factor Plan are provided in the Job Evaluation Handbook (Second Edition).

For an overview of the Job Evaluation process in Scotland please view the Job Evaluation Awareness presentation.

A list of frequently asked questions about the Job Evaluation scheme is provide in the Job Evaluation FAQS page.

Further information regarding the implementation of the Job Evaluation process in your area can be obtained through your local Job Evaluation Lead. A full list of the Job Evaluation Leads is provided on the JE contacts page.

Job Matching and Evaluation Procedures

The NHS Job Evaluation scheme consists of two procedures to evaluate posts:

Job Matching
The matching procedure uses job descriptions and national profiles (national benchmarks) and is used for commonly occurring jobs within the NHS.
Local Job Evaluation
Job evaluation uses Job Analysis Questionnaires(JAQ) and is used for unique jobs or those which are few in number and there are no national profiles.

Details of the process are provided in the Process Flowchart.

National Job Profiles

National job profiles have been developed in order to:

  • Make the processes of assigning staff to one of the new pay bands as straightforward as possible. It would not be helpful to the NHS, and its staff, to have to undertake one million individual job evaluations in order to implement the new NHS pay scheme. The matching procedure has been developed to allow most jobs locally to be matched to nationally evaluated profiles on the basis of information from job descriptions, person specifications and oral information.
  • Provide a framework against which to check the consistency of local evaluations during the initial assimilation process and in the future.

Profiles work on the premise that there are posts in the NHS which are fairly standard and which have many common features. Indeed one of the benefits of job evaluation is that it uses a common language and a common set of terms to describe all jobs. Job evaluation is about highlighting similarities between jobs via common language and measurement. Profiles apply these principles to particular job groups.

A full list of the Job profiles evaluated and developed by the Job Evaluation Working party (JEWP) are available to view and download from the Department of Health website. Notification of new profiles will be posted on the News section of main AfC page as they are released.

For further information on the National Job Profiles please refer to Chapters 7 and 8 of the Job Evaluation Handbook (Second Edition).

Guidance for Developing/updating Job Descriptions

In order to ensure the job matching process can be conducted effectively and smoothly, it is essential that Job Descriptions are accurate and up to date. The Agenda for Change Job Evaluation Scheme takes into account a number of criteria which have not been used in the past and which must be recorded in the Job Description to allow the joint matching panels to successively match posts.

For information and guidance for developing/updating of Job Descriptions for the Job Evaluation process please go to the Job Description Guidance page. A selection of Job Description templates have been developed by the Scottish Pilot sites to assist in the preparation of Job Descriptions. A full list of the current templates is available on the Core NHS Job Description Templates page

Job Evaluation and the use of Job Analysis Questionnaires

Where there are no suitable national profiles jobs have to be locally evaluated. Postholders complete a Job Analysis Questionnaire (JAQ) and are supported in this process by a pair of Job Analysts working in partnership. Completed questionnaires which have been agreed by the postholder and their manager are then evaluated by a trained evaluation panel. The evaluation score is then used to allocate a pay band to the post.

Key Documents

The key documents for the Job Evaluation scheme include:

Planning and Implementation

This Planning and Implementation section provides key information for JE Leads and staff who are tasked with planning and implementing the Job Evaluation process.

Training

The 'Train the Trainers' programme for Job Matchers, Evaluators and Analysts in Scotland has now been completed and each area is now in the process of rolling out training to staff in their area.

CAJE

The Computer-Aided Job Evaluation (CAJE) software has been developed by Northgate Arinso Reward Solutions (formerly LINK HR) to assist matching and local job evaluation. The system is accessed via the NHSnet or Internet through a PC running an Internet Explorer browser. There is no installation of software or processing within the service required.

Please visit the CAJE page for more details of the system and its implementation in Scotland

Further Information

Further information regarding the implementation of the Job Evaluation process in your area can be obtained through your local Job Evaluation Lead. A full list of the Job Evaluation Leads is provided on the JE contacts page.

For general enquiries regarding the NHS Job Evaluation process in Scotland please e-mail the AfC Team or call 0141 242 0126.