Agenda for Change

Agenda for Change is the NHS pay system for all staff directly employed by NHS Health Boards with the exception of some very Senior Managers and staff within the remit of the Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body.

Across the UK, the system applies to over one million NHS staff and in NHS Scotland, approximately 150,000 NHS Staff are on these terms and conditions of service. The pay system came into operation on 1st October 2004 and is the most radical reform of pay and conditions of service in the NHS since 1948.

It was designed to:

  • Deliver fair pay for non-medical staff based on the principle of equal pay for work of equal value supported by the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme.
  • Harmonise terms and conditions of Service such as annual leave, hours of work, sick pay and work performed in unsocial hours.
  • Provide better links between pay and career progression using the Knowledge and Skills Framework.