Written Question · S2W-11743 · Session 2
When, and how, it will monitor and evaluate the comparative outcomes of Agenda for Change for various health professions in relation to rec…
The question
To ask the Scottish Executive when, and how, it will monitor and evaluate the comparative outcomes of Agenda for Change for various health professions in relation to recruitment and retention after December 2004.
The answer
Agenda for Change is a new UK level pay and conditions system for non-medical NHS staff.
Pay modernisation boards have been established across NHSScotland and these will work with the pay modernisation team for Agenda for Change and in partnership with staff representative groups to monitor and assess the recruitment and retention of affected staff, for example by tracking vacancy and turnover rates, and through continuing regular liaison between boards and the Executive concerning recruitment and retention pressures. These processeswill seek to identify which aspects of these data are a result of Agenda for Change and which arise from other factors, although this may not always be possible to do.
In Scotland the Scottish Pay Reference and Implementation Group (SPRIG), a partnership body which advises Scottish ministers on the implementation of Agenda for Change, has agreed to a phased implementation of the matching/ job evaluation process involving a timetabled approach for job families/occupational groups. This is not expected to be completed until the second half of the 2005 and data reflecting the impact of the full operation of Agenda for Change would become available thereafter.
Informed evidence on these aspects of Agenda for Change will be reported to SPRIG.
A feature of Agenda for Change is an agreement whereby premia of up to 30% of basic pay may be made to help overcome local recruitment and retention pressures. All requests for the application of recruitment and retention premia in Scotland would require approval from SPRIG.
Pay modernisation boards have been established across NHSScotland and these will work with the pay modernisation team for Agenda for Change and in partnership with staff representative groups to monitor and assess the recruitment and retention of affected staff, for example by tracking vacancy and turnover rates, and through continuing regular liaison between boards and the Executive concerning recruitment and retention pressures. These processeswill seek to identify which aspects of these data are a result of Agenda for Change and which arise from other factors, although this may not always be possible to do.
In Scotland the Scottish Pay Reference and Implementation Group (SPRIG), a partnership body which advises Scottish ministers on the implementation of Agenda for Change, has agreed to a phased implementation of the matching/ job evaluation process involving a timetabled approach for job families/occupational groups. This is not expected to be completed until the second half of the 2005 and data reflecting the impact of the full operation of Agenda for Change would become available thereafter.
Informed evidence on these aspects of Agenda for Change will be reported to SPRIG.
A feature of Agenda for Change is an agreement whereby premia of up to 30% of basic pay may be made to help overcome local recruitment and retention pressures. All requests for the application of recruitment and retention premia in Scotland would require approval from SPRIG.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S2W-11743 by reference.