‘Agenda for change’ job evaluations have started
Job evaluations within pharmacy departments as part of the ‘Agenda for change’ pay system have started. A
management side representative of the national job evaluation working party
visited Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital pharmacy in London and
has subsequently proposed a number of jobs to be evaluated by local analysts.
The jobs selected are limited in range, but will now be
progressed to full job
evaluations since they are roles that are fairly common within hospital
pharmacy departments. Work will continue in other early implementer sites
to
validate the assessments made at Guy’s and St Thomas’, before
moving onto jobs that have not yet been assessed.
When national profiles for
pharmacist jobs have been
created, they will be submitted to the national job evaluation working
party and then
subsequently to the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists for agreement.
The guild has said that
further work is ongoing
regarding the application of the knowledge and skills
framework, which will support personal development and career progression.
Work is also ongoing on interpretation of unsocial hours, on-call pay and
recruitment and retention
premia as they apply to hospital pharmacists.
Ron Pate, chair of the terms and conditions committee of the guild told
Hospital Pharmacist that while the guild has tried to initiate a dialogue
with the
officers of the chief pharmacists in the home countries regarding proposed
grading indicators, it is
disappointed that responses have not yet been received. Mr Pate is keen
to assure members that the guild will not sign off as agreed any job profiles
that it is not happy with.
‘Agenda for change’ is the new pay system that will apply to
all NHS employees except for doctors and dentists. ‘Agenda for change’ is
intended to
harmonise conditions of service throughout the NHS, and ensure that staff
receive equal pay for work of equal value.It will be implemented in the
early implementer sites later this year, and nationally in October 2004.
All jobs will be allocated to one of eight pay bands, with several points
in each scale. Working hours for all staff will be standardised to 37.5
hours, and overtime and out-of-hours payments will also be
standardised. NHS employees with local contracts will be able to decide
whether they wish stay with their existing contract or move into the ‘Agenda
for change’ pay system. |
