Effects of Agenda for Change on Psychologists

Effects of agenda for convince on PsychologistsWhat is agenda for counterchange?What be the likely implications of agendum for vary for clinicalpsychologists and other health care staff working(a) inthe UK? order of business for motley, implemented in celestial latitude 2004, is a comprehensive pass reform package for 1.2 million NHS staff. It has brought roughly improved correlation between career and pay, proving to be the biggest everywherehaul in this area for 50 years.As part of schedule for Change, the NHS assembly line evaluation Scheme has helped coordinate rates of pay with a hierarchy of melodic phrase profiles. The theorize Evaluation Group, a subgroup of the NHS staff council, has so far produced oer 200 national job profiles.On a more personalised level the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework was introduced to advance the interrelation between education, tuition and career patterned advance. This Framework will develop a culture of lifelong learning in t he NHS, promoting annual breeding rounds and encouraging staff learning.Agenda for Change aims to boost morale and staff retention, as well as improving diversity and family-friendly flexibility. Furthermore, as a result of pay improvements, it is hoped that the body will precipitate long term improvements in every aspect of patient care and service delivery. These changes aim to include a reducing in waiting times, improvement in the quality of treatment/care, and upgraded working practises.NHS Job Evaluation SchemeJob Evaluation attempts to provide a systematic approach to determining the relative worth of jobs within a workplace. The Scheme makes provision for most NHS jobs to be matched to nation wholey evaluated profiles on the initiation of information from job descriptions, person specifications and additional information. National job profiles additionally provide a framework against which to check the consistency of local evaluations.Job Evaluation itself does not d etermine the rate of pay it simply produces a hierarchy of jobs. It examines the demands made by the job and the value of the job in the organisation.In March 2005 clinical psychologists profiles were reviewed profiles are intended to apply to all psychologist jobs in the health Service, (Amicus the Union 2004).At the end of March 2006, 99% of all NHS staff had been moved to the Agenda for Change terms and conditions, and since June 2006 the NHS has invested 1.1 billion in staff.The new pay systemThe impetus behind Agenda for Change was the need to address pay inequality, Thus the new system aims to create equal pay for equal work, with a series of triplet pay thornsDoctors and DentistsNursing and Other wellness ProfessionalsNHS staff, (excluding the most senior managers). (Agenda for Change NHS terms and conditions of service handbook, January 2005)Both the second and third pay spine will be divided into nine pay bands, and within for separately one band there will be a numb er of pay implys. The Job Evaluation Scheme determines the correct pay band for each(prenominal) post and thus the correct pay.The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) and the cultivation review process.KSF and the development review process is the core of the career and pay progression outlined in Agenda for Change. By October 2005 all staff had in addition to updated job descriptions a description of the knowledge and skills needed to do a job. KSF concentrates on how acquired knowledge and skills might be applied in certain areas. (Department of Health 2004)Everyone has their own personal development plan, created jointly in discussion with their line manager. Each year there will be a joint review of the work where new targets for development are set. At the first one, the psychologist (or other NHS staff) agrees on a personal development plan with their line manager. The aim is to meet these targets and then move up one pay point. There are two points called gateways in each pay band. The first gateway takes place no later than 12 months after appointment to ensure that the appointee can meet the primary demands of the post. The second gateway is set at a fixed point towards the top of the pay band.ImplicationsPositiveIn June 2004 the final draft for psychological science job profiles, job evaluation, job descriptions and person specifications was ready. It was a thorough and expand document, agreed to be beneficial for clinical psychologists. For example, it included a Job description and Personal specification suitable for newly qualified clinical psychologists called Band 7 8a, making it possible to move from band 7 to 8 within a couple of years. (Amicus 2004).KSF encourages positive learning development and career progression, giving the individual more freedom and control over their career. The objectivity of the frameworks for reviewing and evaluating clinical work can be advantageous. However, evaluations will forever and a day be de pendant upon the relationship between the persons involved, giving room for differences of opinions and idiosyncrasies. disallowThe announcement in autumn 2005 of around 13000 job cuts for nurses in NHS was in part the result of hospital trusts efforts to balance the books in the aftermath of the tremendously increased wages bill brought about by the implementation of Agenda for Change (The Guardian, 2006).Although no job cuts for clinical psychologists have been announced, there is a tendency to withdraw funding when vacancies arise. (Amicus 2006)The reduced staffing level increases the workload for existent staff, perhaps to a degree that the increased pay doesnt mend for.Increased demand for back pay1ConclusionAlthough the implementation of Agenda for Change has been fraught with difficulties and economic unrest there are indications that the new system is bringing about positive changes in some areas. In the Agenda for Change Briefing (June 2006) NHS employers stated that the reform has been a success story. However, many an(prenominal) organisations are only now coming to the end of the implementation degree and it will take at least a year or two for success criteria to emerge. In conclusion, it is perhaps too early to fair evaluate the implications for clinical psychologists and other health care staff.ReferencesAgenda for Change NHS terms and conditions of service handbook, January 2005 Available from http//www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HumanResourcesAndTraining/ModernisingPay/AgendaForChange/fs/enAccessed 7/11/06Amicus, the Union, Clinical psychologist and psychology assistant profiles, 2004Available fromhttp//www.amicustheunion.orgAccessed 8/11/06Amicus, the Union marker guidance for clinical psychologists,2004http//www.amicustheunion.org/Amicus, the Union, Press Release, September 2006 Available Fromhttp//www.amicustheunion.org/Department of Health Agenda for Change What will it mean for you? A guide for staff, 11/10/2004 Available from htt p//www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4090842chk=djtkBcAccessed 8/11/06Department of Health The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (NHS KSF) and the Development Review Process (October 2004) Available from http//www.dh.gov.ukAccessed 8/11/06The Guardian, April 24, 2006Cumbrian nurses finally get equal pay cash military group Today, Jan 2006Footnotes1 See article in Personnel Today concerning the case of hundreds of nurses caparison equal pay complaints as a result of the new NHS Agenda for Change pay system (Personnel Today, January 2006).