Policies, Procedures, Guidelines and Protocols

Transcription

1 Policies, Procedures, Guidelines and Protocols Document Details Title Salary on Appointment Guidance Trust Ref No Local Ref (optional) Main points the document The purpose of this guidance is to clarify the approach taken covers by the Trust in relation to the starting salaries it offers to potential new employees. Who is the document All staff aimed at? Author Lynne Taylor, Deputy Director, HR Approval Process Approved by Board (Committee/Director) Approval Date 01/05/2015 Initial Equality Impact Screening Full Equality Impact Assessment Lead Director Category Sub Category Yes No Director of Corporate Affairs Organisational Development and Workforce Human Resources Review date 26/05/2018 Distribution Who the policy will be To senior staff as defined by Directors for cascading distributed to Method Dissemination via Directors via and available to all staff via the Trust s website Document Links Required by CQC Yes Required by NHLSA No Other None Amendments History No Date Amendment 1 15/06/2011 Update due to organisational change 2 15/11/2013 Reviewed by Human Resources and no changes required at this time. OD and Workforce Group agreed to extend next review date from 30/06/2012 to 30/06/ /05/2015 Update to titles with regard to Directorate names, formatting to add paragraph numbers and the updating to required signatures in Appendix /01/2017 Update to titles 5 Page 1 of 7

2 Salary on Appointment Guidance Page 2 of 7

3 Contents 1 Existing NHS Employees moving to the Trust in a role within the same pay band (e.g. moving from a Band 6 role to a Band 6 role) Existing NHS Employees moving to the Trust to obtain a promotion (e.g. moving from a Band 6 post to a Band 7 post) Non NHS Employees Partner Organisations Recognition of Service Breaks in Service... 5 Appendix Page 3 of 7

4 1 Introduction 1.1 The purpose of this guidance is to clarify the approach taken by the Trust in relation to the starting salaries it offers to potential new employees. 1.2 The rules for starting salaries are determined by the Handbook of Terms and Conditions of Service for NHS Staff, as amended periodically by the NHS Staff Council. 1.3 Since the 1 October 2004 the Trust, in line with all other NHS bodies, have been implementing a pay system called Agenda for Change. The new system relies on the Job Evaluation of each job which determines the specific pay Band for each NHS job. There are currently nine pay bands (Bands 1-9). 1.4 Each pay band has a range of salary points. The wide nature of each pay band is designed to recognise and reward NHS service and the experience and knowledge that this gives the employee. NHS Staff will normally expect to start at the bottom of the pay band for their job role and will then progress on an annual basis to the top of the pay band based on the attainment of the agreed skills and knowledge for their particular job role. 1.5 The rules for allocating new employees to the pay bands are set out below. 2 Existing NHS Employees moving to the Trust in a role within the same pay band (e.g. moving from a Band 6 role to a Band 6 role) 2.1 In this situation the Trust will offer the potential new employee the same salary as they are currently earning with their existing NHS employer. There will be no incremental increase; the employee will retain their incremental date from their previous employer. The new employee may be required to commence on the bottom increment until the service with their previous NHS employer can be verified. Where this occurs pay will be backdated to the date of commencement in post. 3 Existing NHS Employees moving to the Trust to obtain a promotion (e.g. moving from a Band 6 post to a Band 7 post) 3.1 In this situation the Trust will offer a starting salary that moves the potential employee to the bottom increment of the higher pay band. Where this does not result in a pay increase, due to the overlapping of the pay bands, the new employee will be moved to the next pay increment in the higher band that gives a pay increase. The date of promotion will then become the employee s new incremental date. 4 Non NHS Employees 4.1 Staff new to the NHS (including previous NHS staff that have had a break in service of more than 3 months) will normally be expected to start on the bottom increment of the pay band advertised for the post. 4.2 In exceptional circumstances, the recruiting manager will need to seek prior approval from the Service Director or Service Deputy Director/Head of HR & Workforce and the Director of Finance & Performance (or, in their absence, the relevant Deputy) before making a formal offer, to move a candidate, who is Page 4 of 7

5 currently on a higher salary than the bottom of the band, to a higher increment immediately above the existing salary. 4.3 When the salary exceeds the top of the band, Managers can request placing the candidate on the top of the salary band; again, approval must be sought by completing the form at Appendix 1. 5 Partner Organisations Recognition of Service 5.1 In exceptional circumstances NHS staff transferring from other NHS establishments, or Partner Organisations, already on the same band or equivalent salary based on experience within a Partner Organisation, as the post they are being appointed to, may be placed at a higher point on the scale. In these circumstances approval must be sought as above. 5.2 The NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook (section 12) gives employers the discretion to take into account any period or periods of employment outside the NHS, where these are judged to be relevant to NHS employment. 5.3 Previous service may also be recognised in relation to salary on appointment, annual leave and sickness absence. Service should not be recognised for legislative purposes, such as redundancy, maternity, etc. 5.4 The NHS/Partner Organisations are as follows: - NHS GP Practices - NHS Direct - Local Authority - Blood Transfusion Service - Charitable & Paid Voluntary Sector* - Prison Service* - UK Armed Forces* * Healthcare related comparable roles. 5.5 The above list can be expanded as necessary to suit particular arrangements or needs as they arise, at the discretion of the Service Executive Director and Head of HR & Workforce for consistency. Advice from HR must always be sought in relation to what constitutes a Partner Organisation and reckonable service with such Organisations. 6 Breaks in Service 6.1 NHS staff joining with a break in service that exceeds 3 months would commence at the lowest point on the band. 6.2 Other terms and conditions such as maternity leave, paid sick leave, annual leave and redundancy should be dealt with according to appropriate policies and the A4C Handbook. In such instances advice should be sought from HR. Page 5 of 7

6 7 Process 7.1 Where an applicant has indicated that they wish to be appointed above the salary offer, (and where there is no other appointable candidate) the recruiting manager will need to seek approval using the form at Appendix 1. The recruiting manager must outline the reasons for seeking approval (e.g difficulty in recruiting to post), attach evidence of current salary and submit the form. It is the recruiting manager s responsibility to gain the relevant approval signatures. 7.2 The recruiting manager must advise the recruitment team that they are seeking approval. The recruiting manager will inform the applicant of the outcome and the recruitment team so that the recruitment process can be completed appropriately. 7.3 The approval outcome is final and there is no further recourse to appeal the decision. Page 6 of 7

7 Appendix 1 Application form APPLICATION TO PLACE A NEW EMPLOYEE ON AN ALTERNATIVE PAY POINT Name Post Pay Band & Pay Point Proposed Pay Point Rationale for Request: (to be completed by the Appointing Manager) Please attach photocopy of relevant payslip Signed: Signed: Signed: Appointing Manager Deputy Director of Operations Head of HR & Workforce Date: Date: Date: Once all signatures are obtained, please return to HR & Workforce Team, along with the ESR Staff Engagement Form for processing and retain a copy on the p file with the Staff Engagement Form. Please note forms will not be processed without all of the relevant signatures obtained. You should advise the recruitment team of the decision so that the relevant offer letter may be processed. Page 7 of 7