Agenda for Change, implemented on 01 October 2004, represents a major reform of pay and other terms and conditions for all NHS staff with the exception of Medical and Dental Staff and some Senior Managers. It is the first significant reform of NHS pay since the Health Service was established in 1948.
The system provides common terms and conditions for all staff and is supported by the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme and the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF). It was designed to deliver:
- A fair pay system based on the principle of equal pay for work of equal value
- Improved links between pay and career progression
- Harmonised terms and conditions of service including annual leave, full-time hours of work, payment for unsocial hours working and levels of sick pay.
The Structure of AfC
Using the Job Evaluation system (JE), each job is allocated a total points score which is translated into an appropriate pay band providing the correct basic pay for the job. The JE system measures knowledge, responsibility skills and effort requirements required for each job. As roles change or develop, job roles can be reassessed to determine whether the pay band needs to change accordingly.
There are nine pay bands, each of which have a number of pay points. As staff develop their knowledge and skills, they will progress annually through the points up to the maximum of the agreed pay band. There are two defined points in each pay band known as “gateways” where staff will be expected to fully demonstrate that they have achieved and that they are applying the knowledge and skills required for the job they are undertaking.
What are the Benefits of AfC?
AfC provides benefits for individual staff members and for employers in the NHS.
For staff members the key benefits include having a pay system that is fair and transparent together with harmonised conditions of service for all professions. They can also be reassured that the skills they develop throughout their career will be recognised and appropriately rewarded.
The common terms and conditions of service coupled with the JE system and the KSF, provide greater flexibility to enable employers to devise new roles to deliver quality services to meet the needs of patients. By defining the knowledge and skills required for each job, they can ensure that staff are given appropriate training to deliver new, improved services and assessing new roles against the JE systems ensures that staff are appropriately paid in accordance with the principles of equal pay for work of equal value.
