Hospital Pharmacist
Vol 11 No 6 p222
June 2004

News summary

Agenda for change moves forward

Pharmacists at many sites that are not early implementers are to be encouraged to become involved in preparing for the “Agenda for change” roll-out. The national roll-out is due to take place in October. The results of the pilot of “Agenda for change” at 12 early-implementer sites are not yet available, but the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists is supporting the start of preparatory work at other sites to avoid delays in moving staff onto new pay scales. According to the guild, pharmacists at non-early sites will be encouraged to become “Agenda for change” representatives, agree existing job descriptions and attend practice-matching panels to decide where current jobs sit on the new national pay scale.

David Miller, chair of the terms and conditions committee of the guild said, “It is likely some members will now be asked to expedite this practice-matching process and finalise job descriptions. Our advice is to ensure, through local staff-side representatives, that this is part of an agreed staff-management partnership approach and staff should not feel pressurised to sign off job descriptions unless they are agreed as accurate by the postholder and manager.”