Trusts cannot afford to implement Agenda for Change
Evidence that NHS trusts are abusing the job evaluation process
because they claim they cannot afford to implement Agenda for Change
has been
highlighted by Amicus,
the trade union that represents hospital pharmacists, in its submission
to the Pay Review Body.
The Pay Review Body is an independent organisation that advises the Government
on pay for NHS staff. In its first submission to the body, Amicus says
it has evidence that jobs are being matched by old Whitley grades rather
than by the demands of the role; that assessment of knowledge is being
reduced to that required to practise, rather than that required for the
role; and that there is inconsistent application of the section on evaluating
knowledge, training and experience in the job evaluation handbook. In
addition, it says that methods to ensure that there is consistency across
the NHS are being misused by NHS employers to downgrade outcomes in order
to meet departmental budgets that are established on old Whitley-based
assumptions.
In the light of this evidence Amicus is calling for a substantial pay
increase for health professionals for 2006-07 “as a result of this
uncertainty with members not knowing what their final salary will be
under AfC”.
However, Amicus says that it has been assured by the Government that
AfC is fully funded. “The question of how this money has been distributed
on receipt by the trusts is
the key question. It would be inappropriate for AfC to be unfairly implemented
if this money has been allocated to other expenditure headings or to
fund other staff contracts,” it says.
David Miller, chairman of terms and conditions at the Guild of Healthcare
Pharmacists, told The Journal that the guild has received anecdotal reports
of major inconsistencies in outcomes for pharmacists. “These widespread
reports of inconsistencies, if substantiated, raise concerns that the
systems for consistency checking appear inadequate, especially at the
strategic health authority level in England or national level in the
other countries, since this variation in pharmacist outcomes did not
occur to the same extent in the early implementer sites using the same
processes.”
Amicus is also calling for sufficient money to be available from the
Government for maintaining training places. This, it says, is in light
of recent cuts by NHS training bodies. “The concern for pharmacists
in particular is that we are already having major recruitment problems
with high vacancy rates and a reduction in trainees will lead to even
fewer qualified pharmacists in the future,” Mr Miller commented.
Amicus is requesting that recruitment and retention premiums should be
considered for pharmacists as a matter of urgency.
Guild guidance
The Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists will be producing guidance for
its members seeking a review on the application of two key factors,
relating to knowledge and freedom to act, in the job evaluation
handbook. The guidance will be available on the GHP website.
However, Mr Miller said that large scale requests for reviews could undermine
the job evaluation process by weakening members’ confidence in the fairness
and equity of the system and the perceived competence of those involved. |
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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