Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the NHS Agenda for Change Pay Scale for reflecting trends in the level of workloads faced by medical professionals in the NHS.

The management of staff workloads is a matter for local employing organisations, and is not considered to be a national pay, terms, and conditions issue.

The Agenda for Change pay scale, and the national terms and conditions of service, are used to support the employment of non-medical staff in the National Health Service. The NHS Staff Council has overall responsibility for the maintenance of the pay scales and the conditions of service.

The Job Evaluation Scheme underpins the Agenda for Change system of pay and supports the principle of equal pay for work of equal value. Pay bands are assigned based on the requirements of the role, such as skills and knowledge.