Job evaluation – reviewing the midwifery and nursing profiles

By Job Evaluation Group Representative Ann Fordham Midwives NHS Pregnancy Maternity Safety

This is my first blog for the RCM and I’m excited that it’s about a piece of work I’m really proud of. As well as being a Regional Officer in the RCM South Team, I am the RCM representative on the NHS Staff Council Job Evaluation Group and. This group is responsible for keeping the job evaluation scheme up to date. That includes the development of new job profiles, updating existing job profiles, ensuring that trainers and training courses are up to date and providing advice and information.

There is an important piece of work that the group is just getting going with that I wanted to update you on. The work follows a request from the RCM and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) to review the midwifery and nursing suite of profiles.

First off, let’s do a bit of a recap on what job evaluation is. It underpins the Agenda for Change pay structure, and ensures equal pay for work of equal value. It works by ranking jobs by knowledge and skills, responsibility and effort. Every job description that is created for Agenda for Change staff must go through a process of either job matching or job evaluation.

The majority of jobs will be matched to a nationally evaluated job profile and it is these profiles that are being reviewed

The RCM’s main aim as part of the review is ensuring that you, as a member, and all the other relevant stakeholders are fully engaged and ultimately that the updated suite of profiles is fit for purpose. That means that the suite can be applied effectively to all the different and varied midwifery and support worker roles. The current profiles haven’t been reviewed for many years and there is a recognition that roles have evolved and new roles have developed in maternity services.

The first steps for the job evaluation group are to identify gaps in existing profiles, and to put out a call for evidence of new and changed roles in maternity. Please do keep an eye out because we will be coming to you for information and to ask you to get involved in stakeholder groups – especially if you are trained in job evaluation. Your insight and input will be crucial in getting this right.

You might be seeing a fair bit of me as the work progresses! The plan is that it will take 18-24 months and we will keep you regularly updated.

Don’t forget the RCM’s job evaluation toolkit – this is a really great resource to help understand job evaluation and the process you need to follow if you think you are incorrectly pay banded. You deserve to be paid at the right grade for the work you’re doing – so please do talk to your RCM workplace rep or regional officer.