Development of professional roles

1. The NHS Job Evaluation Scheme recognises that all healthcare professionals who have, as a base level, graduate qualification evaluate at a similar level.
   
   While there may be differences these are unlikely to be sufficient to justify a different pay band. This means that it is very likely that they will be placed on pay band 5. Thereafter, most professionals will spend a period of several years in pay band 5 developing their role.
   
   
2. It is the case thereafter that for a minority of staff there is some divergence as different professions follow different career pathways. There are also often different organisational structures in place to deliver healthcare.
   
   
3. There are groups of staff who tend to move quickly to operate in roles that demand a level of autonomous decision-making in the overall delivery of care which exceeds that normally associated with jobs allocated to pay band 5. Typically, these roles operate without the influence of other professional groups.
   
   Where supervision operates, it is generally management supervision and does not normally impinge upon clinical practice. In such circumstances job size should normally be reviewed no earlier than one year and no later than 2 years from the date of qualification, using the NHS Job Evaluation Scheme. If the evaluation demonstrates that the post holder’s job weight is of sufficient size to move to the next pay band (pay band 6) this should be effected without the need for application for a post at a higher level.
   
   In exceptional circumstances, where it is apparent that either for operational reasons or other unavoidable circumstances a role has not fully developed, it should be revisited no later than 6 months from the original review date. There will be no further extension to this time period.
   
   It is not expected that the review will be widespread practice, as the majority of staff will work in circumstances in which there is regular clinical supervision and the delivery of care and treatment is subject to control or influence from other healthcare professionals.
   
   There is no facility for this provision to operate in any other part of the pay structure.

Staff included in these Development roles are:

• Podiatrists
• Dietitians
• Physiotherapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Radiographers
• Registered Mental Health Nurses
• Midwives
• Speech and Language Therapy (effective from 1 April 2023)

Effective 1 June 2018