Managers’ Assimilation Communication

(TRAINING DRAFT)


Dear Colleague,April 2006

IMPORTANT COMMUNICATION

During 2004 NHS Greater Glasgow (NHSGG) began work to implement a new pay and conditions of service package called Agenda for Change. This impacts on all NHS staff across the UK, with the exception of Consultants, Doctors, Dentists and some Senior Managers.

NHSGG staff members are already receiving the additional annual leave entitlement, new hours of work and other elements of Agenda for Change. From February 2006 staff who assimilate, will begin to be paid Agenda for Change rates of pay.

Assimilation Timetable

NHSGG will assimilate staff groups by sub job family. Under Agenda for Change, staff groups are organised in well-defined job families, then broken down into sub job families. The sub job families to be assimilated in April 2006 and paid the new Agenda for Change rates of pay are:

Job families will appear here

These staff members will be paid on:

If monthly paid / Monthly Pay Date
If weekly paid / Weekly Pay Date

Assimilation Process

As existing members of staff are assimilated, they will be issued with a letter informing them of their new pay, allowances and other terms and conditions. Other important documents will also be attached to this letter, all of which should be retained by the employee, as duplicate copies will not be available:

  • Assimilation letter (Important contractual document)
  • Matched Job Report (Showing pay band, points score and the job evidence used in job matching)
  • National Profile (This is used in the job matching process)
  • Break down of pay before and after assimilation, only issued to those in receipt of pay protection,

Please note: Arrears of pay, if due, will be paid to employees following assimilation and not at the same time.

It has been agreed that the Payroll department will send assimilation letters to Managers / HR departments for distribution to their staff, approximately 5-10 days prior to monthly and weekly pay dates.

Staff not assimilated in this period

There may be occasions whereby some members of staff will not receive a letter, or have to be assimilated at a different time from their colleagues, some reasons include:

  • Staff currently in receipt of pay protection (pre Agenda for Change) will be given the choice or retaining current protection arrangements.
  • Staff who have changed their posts since 1st October 2004 cannot/ may not be assimilated until both posts have been job matched and banded.
  • Staff in posts that did not match a national profile will be locally evaluated.
  • Those staff who work in posts that have been matched against a profile in another job family or a different sub job family in Support Services. For example, Theatre Porters are in the Sterile Services sub job family; Domestics who work mainly in laboratory settings are being matched against profiles in the Health Science Services job family.
  • Staff have not signed off their job descriptions.
  • Staff who have signed off their job descriptions but the AFC Project Office is awaiting national approval to assimilate. (It is anticipated that those affected will be in the next round of assimilations)
  • Any other Ancillary staff group not mentioned above
  • Bank Staff
  • Leavers

Further details of the evaluation process will be published in due course.

Actions Required by Managers

Managers are responsible for the distribution of these letters to staff as a matter of urgency. It is imperative that operating divisions put mechanisms in place to ensure that all staff receive their letters prior to the pay dates printed on this letter and also ensure that an audit trail is in place.

Contacts for further information:

If you, or members of your staff require further clarification on the content of these documents please contact your local HR department, Agenda for Change Leads, Staff Representative or the Agenda for Change project office. Contact details will be available on local notice boards and intranet sites.

Yours sincerely

Jonathan R Best Elizabeth Stow

Co- Chair Co –Chair

NHSGG Project Steering Group NHSGG Project Steering Group

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