Under Agenda for Change in the NHS, jobs are categorised into bands, which directly relate to the salary received. The re-banding process is where an independent panel reviews a staff member’s current job description against the responsibilities in each band. If the staff member can prove that the skills they carry out are at a higher level, the panel will upgrade the role to another band, which results in a salary increase.
The re-banding process applies to every NHS worker who is covered by Agenda to Change, regardless of which band they are in, and it is a contractual right to use this process. However, the re-banding procedure can be complex and time-consuming, which is why the PDA hosted this event to further support members.
PDA National Officer, Paul Moloney shared that, in his experience, lots of NHS workers are working below the band that they should be and are therefore being underpaid. By attending this event and becoming more confident and knowledgeable about the re-banding process, it is the PDA’s hope that members will be able to correctly use it to significantly increase their income to the salary that they deserve.
During the event, Paul explained the entire re-banding process, offering helpful tips and advice which can be found in the PDA’s re-banding guide below. He discussed the challenges that members may face when they begin the process and advised them to be politely assertive throughout the process and to be confident when presenting their case.
When beginning the re-banding process, members may be told that the trust cannot progress their case because they haven’t got anyone trained to handle it or don’t have enough money to pay the member more. Neither of these are valid defences and Paul encouraged members to speak to the PDA Member Support Centre if they face either of these issues.
When the event was opened for questions, one pharmacist shared that she was going through the process and was currently being told by her trust that they couldn’t afford to increase her pay. Paul took time to advise her on her specific case and how she could use the grievance procedure at her workplace as this was a breach of contract. He also recommended that she get in touch with the PDA Member Support Centre so that they could continue to support her and offer her further guidance.
As a final point, members were told that once they have read all the materials available to them and gathered the information needed to begin the process, it’s important that they keep going and make it difficult for their trust to ignore them.
Members who need further assistance with the re-banding process can download the PDA’s re-banding guide below or contact the PDA Member Support Centre.
Download the PDA’S Re-Banding Guide Here
Learn more
- PDA event on NHS re-banding: NHS hospital pharmacists come together to talk about ways to improve pay
- PDA responds to the latest NHS pension proposals
- PDA student campaign is making an impact on NHS LSF exclusion issue
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