NHS Agenda for Change review: scope

Commissioning and governance

The review will be taken forward within the auspices of the Scottish Terms and Conditions Committee (STAC). STAC will form the overall governance group and will commission, where appropriate subgroups reporting into STAC to take forward areas of work.

Within 4 weeks of the 2023/24 pay offer being agreed through trade unions ballots, STAC will have developed a high level workplan and terms of reference for each of the required working groups.

STAC will report to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care who will provide Ministerial oversight and agreement to proceed within 2 weeks of completion of the work plan.

It is recognised that some aspects of the review may take longer than others. Those areas in which have been agreed as part of the 2022/23 pay deal will be scoped out with a delivery plan by September 2023. A Agenda for Change review document will also be prepared no later than September 2023 with next steps on the matters set out as priorities within the wider review, allowing time for multi-year pay negotiations to take place as required.

The review document from STAC will identify:

• costed proposals and implementation plans for 2022-23 commitments and for any wider matters where there is agreement on modernisation
• costed proposals for consideration by the Cabinet Secretary where there is no agreement
• detailed timescales and mechanisms for implementation including ‘quick wins’, should all parties be in agreement

Governance

Whilst STAC will develop a governance structure as part of the commissioning process it is accepted that any final proposal may require trade unions to consult members on any proposed changes and timescales.

It is accepted that should STAC fail to make progress or reach agreement on identified issues within agreed timescales this would require escalation to the Cabinet Secretary and, in Staff Side’s view, may result in trades disputes.