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Frequently Asked Questions Agenda for Change
A Agenda for Change is the biggest shake up to the NHS pay system since it's introduction in 1948 back
Q How will it affect me if I don't work for the NHS? A You will not be affected if you don't work for the NHS and instead are currently working in the private healthcare sector. back
Q Do I need to update my job description because of AfC? A Yes you
do. This is most important as it will be required to match your job against the
pay you will be awarded.
Q I've heard that many jobs will be worse off under AfC. Can this affect me? A Some early implementers reported this may be the case and predominately reported many clerical and IT posts would be worse off against those from a clinical background who have in some cases the potential to gain considerably. However, it's worth pointing out that some early implementers didn't at the time have full reference to job matching data and some were also caught out by using ill prepared and out of date job descriptions in which to evaluate. The whole concept of AfC is to give fair reward to all for the job in which any individual frequently works. back
Q I can't agree my job description with my manager. What can I do now? A
Should you not be able to agree with your manager or feel you are being pushed
to sign for a watered down job description which doesn't fully reflect the work
you know you do, seek advice from your
local UNISON
representative. If the situation is so bad or you feel your manager is
totally clueless or being pig stubborn, you may be advised to take out a
grievance against them. After all, this new way of calculating your individual
job worth will set the amount in your pay packet. Q I used to be paid Mufti allowance, where has it gone?
A
Mufti and other clothing allowances are
not included in A4C. They will be taken into account when staff are
assimilated as part of the protection arrangements.
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Q What annual leave entitlement am I entitled to, under Agenda for Change?
A
The services annual leave year runs from
1st April to 31st March.
Q What if there are fewer or more bank holidays in the year? A Bank holidays should be taken in the year in which they fall. This may result in fewer than 8 or more than 8 bank holidays falling in a financial year. The annual leave policy has a grid that gives the calculations for pro-rata entitlement. If the year has fewer than 8 bank holidays deduct from the last column the number of pro rata bank holiday hours the employee would be entitled to, similarly if there are greater than 8 bank holidays add the number of pro rata bank holiday hours from the last column in the grid to give the calculation for the number of hours to be taken. back
Q What if someone starts work part way through the year?
A
If the new starter commences work three
months into the financial year they would be entitled to 9/12 of their
full years entitlement to annual leave. The individual will be entitled
to take their calculated bank holidays, based on the number of bank
holidays remaining in the financial year from they date from which they
start. For example if an employee started on 9 May 2005 they would not
be entitled to a full years set of bank holidays – as the first bank
holiday of the financial year falls on 2 May. Their bank holiday
entitlement would be calculated by deducting their pro-rata hourly
entitlement for the financial year. E.g. if there were 8 bank holidays
in the year and a full time employee had commenced employment after the
first bank holiday of the year had already occurred they would have
their bank holiday entitlement reduced by 7.5 hours.
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Q I used to get a cost of living supplement, where has this gone?
A
The cost of living allowance or COLS has
now been re-expressed as a recruitment and retention premia (RRP). All
staff who received the COLS payments will now receive an RRP.
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A Long term RRP are super annuable just as COLS was super annuable. Short term RRPs are not pensionable. back
Q I used to get a lead payment, where has it gone? A Leads and allowances measured in the Job Evaluation Scheme will be taken into account when calculating an individuals pay for assimilation. back
Q Is there still incremental progression through the pay spines under AFC? A Each pay band has a number of points – a pay range. Each year, staff below the maximum point of their pay band or pay range can expect progression to the next highest level. There are also 2 points on each pay band known as gateways when there will be an assessment of the knowledge and skills that staff need to apply to that post. back
Q Can I move through the points any quicker?
A
No
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Q What happens to discretionary points, do these disappear?
A
Yes
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Q When will I get my increment? A If you are on the maximum of your current salary your incremental date will be the date of assimilation. Staff assimilating from below the maximum of their current salary will retain their existing increment date. For new staff the increment date will be date from which they take up employment. back
Q I am on a local contract, why have I been asked to submit my job description?
A
All posts need to be subject to the
matching or evaluation process. This will enable each post holder on a
local contract to make an informed decision.
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Q Who should I go to for advice?
A
You can discuss your concerns with your
line manager, HR leads,
UNISON branch
officer, Agenda for Change project office, and the ASP website.
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Q When will I be paid my arrears?
A
Your assimilation letter will outline
details of when you will receive your new salary range and any payments
of arrears should these be due. Arrears will usually be paid the month
following assimilation.
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Q When can I book my extra annual leave?
A
If you are on a national contract e.g.
Whitley, discuss with your manager, if you have not done so already,
about taking any additional annual leave owed to you as a result of
agenda for change. If you are employed on a local contract you would be
entitled to take additional leave owed to you as a result of agenda for
change once you have accepted your offer to assimilate. Leave cannot be
booked until this has occurred.
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Q I have received my assimilation letter, but this relates to a post that I no longer hold – what next? A The answer depends on when you changed post. If this occurred before the 1st October then you would need to submit a new job description to the project office. Inform the project office if you are affected in this way. If you changed post, or your role significantly changed after the 1st October you will have needed to have been matched and assimilated based on the post you were undertaking after 1st October until the date your post changed. You will need to submit a job description for your new role, and in time will receive another assimilation letter setting out the pay band and terms and conditions relating to the new post. Should this show an increase in pay band you will receive arrears backdated to when you were employed for that post. back
Q My contract says I work 35 hours, full time, what happens to me? A The new full time working week is 37.5 hours. Former working hours, where these are lower than 37.5 are formally protected on a sliding scale. This protection remains in place until you change job voluntarily or have a promotion, in which case the new terms and conditions will apply immediately. back
Q Who is covered by agenda for change, and who isn’t?
A
The new system relates to all those
directly employed by the NHS except those covered by the Doctor’s and
Dentist’s pay review body and very senior managers. Staff currently on
local contracts will have a choice whether or not they move onto the
system. Nurses in private sector hospitals, homes, clinics, GP
practices are not covered by AfC.
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Q I work 32 hours per week, and work Monday through to Thursday – 8 hours per day, what happens if I don’t work on the bank holiday Monday?
A
The new annual leave and bank holiday
policy shows that each bank holiday for someone working 32 hours equals
6.4 hours. If you are taking 8 hours of bank holiday leave, then 8
hours will be deducted from your bank holiday leave entitlement. The
calculations in the last column are there to help assist your line
manager to help calculate your bank holiday leave entitlement in years
where there are more or less than the standard 8. If for example there
were 9 bank holidays in a year, for someone working 32 hours per week,
the entitlement would increase by 6.4 hours from 51 hours to 57.4
hours.
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Q Why does the annual leave policy show leave entitlements in hours and in days? A Not all staff work a standard 5 day 7.5 hour shift pattern. The number of hours / or days are shown to enable line managers to calculate leave entitlements for all of their staff whatever their work pattern. For example a member of staff may be employed full time on a 37.5-hour contract, but may work an occasional long day – 14.5 hours. If the staff member were to take this day off as annual leave then 14.5 hours would need to be deducted, and not 7.5 hours. back
Q Who will calculate my annual leave and bank holiday entitlement?
A
It is your line mangers responsibility
to calculate your leave entitlements.
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Q I used to work for a NHS bank, does this time count toward reckonable service? A This would be dependent on the amount of work undertaken whilst working for an NHS bank. Each episode of work undertaken whilst working for the bank counts as a stand-alone episode of work. You will need to add up the number of days worked for the bank. This will give you the number of days you have accumulated towards reckonable service. For example, you have worked for the bank for five years, and have worked every Monday for the last five years. You will have accumulated 260 days towards reckonable service. This happens because every piece of work undertaken for a bank is classed as being worked on a separate contract. back
Q I worked for the NHS between 1976 – 1980 and then left to have a family, I returned in 1998. What reckonable service do I have?
A
The number of years worked between 76
and 80, and again between 98 and 05 are greater than 10. You would be
entitled to have annual leave calculated on the basis of having more
than 10 years service.
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Q I have noticed that the overtime rate for all staff will be paid at time and a half, or at double time for bank holidays. Does this mean any hours I work in excess of my contract are paid at overtime rate?
A
Any episode of overtime must be in full
agreement with your line or departmental manager before the episode has
occurred. Part time staff will continue to receive payment for extra
hours at their basic rate (with unsocial hours payments where
appropriate) until working time is more than 37.5 hours.
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Q What is happening to unsocial hour payments?
A
This is a point that will be undergoing
further discussion at a national level. It is expected that the formal
review will begin in Summer 2005 with recommendations expected around 1
December 2005. Any new harmonised arrangements will apply from 1 April
2006.
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Q What are the on call arrangements?
A
On call payments will be made in line
with your current arrangements. On call arrangements will be reviewed
during the agreed four-year protection period.
Q How are bank holiday calculations worked out? A The bank holiday calculations show the number of hours the individual staff member is entitled to take calculated pro-rata. Full time staff working 37.5 would receive an additional 7.5 hours of bank holidays if there were 9 recognised bank holidays in that financial year. If for example an employee working 32 hours per week always worked eight hours on a Monday, Tues, Wed and Thursday and worked a number of equal hours on each day, you would need to take 8 hours bank holiday entitlement. If 6.4 hours were deducted rather than 8, you would be under your normal working hours by 1.6 hours. back
Q How are bank holiday allowances worked out for part time staff under the new arrangements?
A
Bank holiday and annual leave hours
should be deducted from the individual allowance as and when they are
taken. So in the case you outline below if the usual working pattern
for the individual working 32 hours was to work 4 X 8 hour days, then
if you took the Monday off as a bank holiday you would have 8 hours
deducted from your bank holiday entitlement - thus ensuring that the
total number of hours for your working week remained at 32. The only
circumstance in which 6.4 hours would be deducted would be if you
worked a 32 hour week worked a five day not four day week.
Q What is my annual leave entitlement if I work 15 hours per week? A An employee who is contracted to work 15 hours per week would have annual leave entitlement on appointment 81 hours, after 5 yrs 87 hrs and after 10 years 99 hours. In addition to this you would be entitled to take 24 hours of bank holidays per year where there are a standard 8 bank holidays. If there are greater or fewer than 8 bank hols this total would be amended up or down for each bank holiday as it appears by 3 hours. back
Q Where can I find more information to help me better understand all this AfC stuff? A We have carefully chosen and added some important documents to our website which you can browse or download. To find out what these are, simply click here. back
NB. More will be be added when necessary, so please call back another day. In the meantime for lots more info, see UNISON's AfC FAQ. back
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