Fulfilling potential and encouraging flexibility

To encourage and ensure more flexibility for NHSScotland staff, work is in progress with all representative bodies to tackle current rigidities in access routes to professions, career pathways, pay and development opportunities.

In 1999 the four UK Health Departments published Agenda for Change which includes proposals for modernising the NHS pay and grading system. A key element of these proposals is to replace the many different pay scales and grades, with a simplified system in which career progression is based on responsibility, competence and satisfactory performance. This new approach will offer greater opportunities for career development and flexibility.

Many of the initiatives within Learning Together will address this need for flexibility and help prepare many staff for the opportuninty to improve their careers or levels of pay.

The Scottish Partnership Forum (SPF) established the Partnership Information Network (PIN) Board, with a remit to set out guidance on issues relating to people management in the NHS in Scotland. This guidance has taken the form of nine PIN Guidelines thoroughly researched and prepared on partnership basis with the trade unions. The guidelines support the delivery of the HR Strategy and form a solid foundation on which to build local people management strategies. All of the PIN Guidelines can be accessed from the SPF link above.

The guideline documents, available here, cover the following:

• Staff Governance
• Equal Opportunities
• Personal Safety
• People Performance Management
• Management of Health at Work
• Harassment
• Management of Employee Conduct
• Family Friendly Policy
• Employee Dissatisfaction

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Promoting opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled staff

Below are some innovative examples of Learning Together funded projects, and other closely related initiatives that have had a direct effect on career opportunities for many NHSScotland staff:

• Creation of a 'Renal support worker' linked to SVQ 3 Dialysis Support - merging two distinct support staff roles and backgrounds. Using the competencies within the SVQ, a new job was created combining the roles of technical and nursing assistant staff.

• Link the HNC & SVQ 3 Care to provide a direct link to the 2nd year of nurse training - this project is unique in Scotland and will provide a direct route for support workers to access nurse training

• Development of a multi-disciplinary 'Therapies Support Worker' - using the Diagnostic & Therapeutic Support award to support this emerging group of staff

• Promotion of qualification opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled staff in national and regional events - with the emphasis on attendance by support staff

• Personal Development Plans for every member of staff that can be used to plan career aspirations.

• Recruitment of a Modern Apprentice / SVQ Development manager to promote the uptake and delivery of SVQs/MA awards, as a result there are now SVQ candidates in every Unified Board Area in Scotland.

• A national project to develop qualifications for NHS Support Services.

• Pay review - most recent review states that an extra increment is now available for all staff that have a Care SVQ. This creates a more positive image to potential candidates

• Development of the Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework (SCQF) will provide eduactional credits for learning programmes and open up opportunities within Higher Education.

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Regulated health professionals

Encouraging broader, more flexible range of options within and across professional boundaries. These include:

• competency-based career progression, which recognises and rewards people for acquiring new skills and taking on additional responsibilities

• flexible job design and grading - encouraging people to develop new skills

• career breaks and support for staff who wish to return to practice - family friendly policies

• opportunities and encouragement for professionals to develop their careers in different directions
  

• flexibility for careers to combine clinical, educational, managerial and other responsibilities in different ways

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Nurses' careers

In partnership with the profession, staff representatives and NHS managers, a working group on nurses careers has been established that is considering all aspects of the nursing career structure. Nursing careers are so much more diverse and involved thatn ever before, for example:

• The implementation and funding of nurse, midwife and health visitor consultant posts across the NHS in Scotland.

• Real extended roles within nursing, e.g. nurse endoscopists, A&E specialists, and nurse thrombolysis teams.

• Structured support for newly qualified nurses during their initial period of NHS employment.

• Centrally funded 'Return to Nursing' programmes.

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Access & Opportunity | Careers | Quality Care | Learning Organisation | Lifelong Learning | SVQs | Modern Apprenticeships