NHS Agenda for Change pay transfer nears completion

The roll-out of the NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) pay modernisation programme, the biggest job evaluation exercise ever undertaken, is nearly complete, with the vast majority of NHS staff having transferred over to their new pay band.

Latest figures from NHS Employers reveal that just over 90% of staff were paid according to their AfC terms and conditions in December 2005. A further 5% are due to see their new pay rates with their January 2006 salary.

The roll-out of the new system began on 1 December 2004, with an original deadline for completion of September 2005. In total, around 1.3 million NHS staff are covered by the scheme, with all pay under the new bands backdated to 1 October 2004.

NHS Employers director of pay modernisation Peter Smith praised 'the hard work and dedication of the NHS staff and union representatives' involved in implementing the scheme. He went on to assert that 'NHS Employers has been supporting trusts to make the transition and will continue to help those few trusts that are still experiencing some difficulties'.

NHS trusts have also made significant progress on implementing the first stage of the career development element of the AfC agreement. By the end of December 2005, nearly 80% of NHS posts in England had been covered by a Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) outline. The KSF scheme is designed to help raise equality standards and service levels, and will form an integral part of the development review process.

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