AfC must not be subverted to cut nurse pay, warns Burnham

19 April, 2010 | By Charlotte Santry

Health secretary Andy Burnham has warned trusts not to use contractual loopholes to pay nurses’ less in response to budget pressures.

Mr Burnham was asked at UNISON’s annual health conference what he planned to do about trusts that attempted to make savings through Agenda for Change, for example by downgrading nurses’ job bandings.

In response, Mr Burnham said the pay framework must not be “subverted” by organisations looking for savings.

He said: “We didn’t introduce it [Agenda for Change] so it could be subverted.

“We introduced it because we wanted that new system to be part of how we drive up quality of standards across the NHS. That remains part of our vision.

“If you have a properly motivated workforce we’re more likely to get the quality of services we need.

“We will give you a commitment to work through the social partnership forum to make sure it’s not undermined in any way by organisations facing financial pressure.”

Readers' comments (10)

mike | 19-Apr-2010 6:10 pm
Good comment, but not far enough. He doesn't have the teeth to back his comments up any way. If he wanted a motivated work force then he would stop effectively cutting our pay by pissing about with below normal pay rises (whilst managers and executives still have record pay rises I see!)

Stop pissing about with AFC and give us a REAL pay rise!
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Anonymous | 19-Apr-2010 11:40 pm
Weasel words Andy. I think we all know that the cut's are going to be made and the trust apparatchiks will find any possible means of making them. Making everyone reapply for their re-banded jobs for example. Your just pretending that the government is on our side.

How about a public enquiry into the Stafford Debacle?
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Jacqueline de Laporte | 20-Apr-2010 3:45 pm
Oh for the opportunity to be on 'agenda for change' at any grade. The majority of those of us who work in General Practice are paid at the whim of their GP employers and are on outmoded Whitley Council pay scales, which haven't changed in years, as they no longer exist.

We didn't get the 9% staged pay rise. Not for us seniority pay, Inner, outer or London weighting or long service holidays. Most of us pay for and launder our own uniforms as well.

On the plus side, the job satisfaction is high, no one 'manages' me and I work autonomously, I don't work shifts or unsociable hours.

It would be just rather nice to have comparable pay with my District Nurse colleagues who are equally well qualified and experienced.
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Alfie Mullin | 20-Apr-2010 5:00 pm
Mike mentions below normal pay rises but what he did not mention, is that we still have not had the whole of our below normal payrise that we were promise last time round.
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Anonymous | 20-Apr-2010 5:09 pm
Already happening Andy. Nurse Practitioners/prescribers being advertised on a Band 6. Out of Hours private companies and PCT's not wanting to pay respectfully what people are worth for the responsibility they are being directed to take.
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Anonymous | 20-Apr-2010 6:21 pm
Andy - you are a two faced so and so.Trusts are already implementing cuts through restructuring of services and downgrading.
Same thing happened in the late eighties with clinical grading under the conservatives - you are two and the same.
Hope Nick Clegg gets in and gives us true transparent government.
And this IS the modernised NHS - it's a joke!
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Anonymous | 22-Apr-2010 2:44 pm
Down grading of roles is already with us eg. Modern Matrons. Previously on my Unit this was a Band 8; now band 7. Nurse practitioners on a band 6.
I think we all know that once you reach a band 6 these days, that's a far as you are going. Band 7 posts seem to be getting rarer and rarer.
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Susan Jones | 23-Apr-2010 11:11 pm
I don't know where to start! Have my say? I am one of approximately 30 school nurses in the GG&Clyde area still awaiting a review of our banding!.
We were given a 5 whilst the whole of Scotland school nurses now have a 6 - National Consistency does not exsist.
The AFC job evaluation unit has been disbanded and most of us haven't even recieved a letter to inform us of the outcome whilst a minority received 2 letters saying their review banded them at a 6 and at the same time a letter stating they were unsuccessful. They are totally incompetent and the unions supposed to be supporting and guiding us are just as bad. We have written to MSP's who are doing there best but we are shouting on deaf ears.
We are now a demorolised bunch of "Caring Nurses" doing the same job as all school nurses but not getting the recognition. Teachers/ Police etc wouldn't be as stupid as us to put up with this for over 5 years and no result.
Is it not surprising we are seen as the lower class workers in the public sector!
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Steve Williams | 24-Apr-2010 4:54 pm
Speaking at the meeting in front of Labour supporters in Corby, Northamptonshire, Mr Brown said health care was better because of the extra nurses, doctors, hospitals and equipment introduced under his party's government.

The Bruno one said....

"Vote Conservative on May 6th and on May 7th they will start to remove the guarantees we have put in place for the National Health Service."

Labour, meanwhile, was "ambitious" about its future plans for a national care service, the NHS, policing and schools, whilst addressing the national budget deficit.

Like the "pay peanuts and you get monkeys working for you" argument - it seems like "if we elect monkeys all we get is a bunch of bananas hanging from the tree!"

Fools led by fools.... Nurses led by politicians... You pays your money and you take your choice....

Good Luck!
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Anonymous | 24-Apr-2010 9:21 pm
In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is King
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