NHS pay band & associated authority question

Coraline

Hello All:

To make a complicated story short I'm 2 months into the NHS. I'm currently a band 6, yet given yesterday charge of £30,000 budget.

This morning I found via email that behind the scenes the head decided to delegate overseeing and signing off all purchase orders for another department wide budget of over £100,000--basically to approve all the purchase orders without question, just to keep track of the money and make sure we don't go over the limit.

Is it just me or is this something that a band 8a or above can only do? I'm already doing the duties of an 8a (I went through the weighting scores and tallied it up) but this is putting it over the top.

Any veterans of the NHS with knowledge of pay-bands and authority given with them...I would greatly appreciate your advice as I sense a rather strange day tomorrow as I refused to sign off on a purchase order that I had no idea was about.

(Also they now expect me to have the final word and sign off on all FOI requests--I'm not sure if I have the authority to do that).

Puzzled to say the least.

ohreally

You need to refer to your matched job report, paying specific attention to factors 8 (responsibilites for financial resources), 2 and 12.

What levels was your post awarded in these factors?

In terms of FOI requests, I'd look to why its fell to you, who carried out this role previously and wgy are they not doing it now. Avoid if possible.

Coraline

I never got a job report, only an outdated job description. I was promoted from that job into this one within four days. ( from band four to six).

I have had no guidance, no induction, and completely overwhelmed trying to cover about 2.5 full time equivaliencies at once.

FOI fell to me because the job has to do with PR/media/etc.

Coraline

ohreally wrote: »

You need to refer to your matched job report, paying specific attention to factors 8 (responsibilites for financial resources), 2 and 12.

What levels was your post awarded in these factors?

I think I know of the document you speak of, it has 16 criteria and weighting of points? I received a blank copy from a colleague to look over, but nothing official. heck it took six weeks just to get my offer letter!

harrys_dad

Contact your Union.

Coraline

The timing is really unbeleivable as I joined mine last week and now all of this is coming up. Delay and stall? someone wanted me to sign off on purchases that I had no clue about today...

Shoey1610

No induction and covering 2.5 full time equivalences is pretty normal for the NHS, you should try nursing

Seriously though, get on to HR and stir up merry hell until you get a meeting, some answers and a proper contract and job spec. If you have a union contact them.

ohreally

Get reading http://www.nhsemployers.org/Aboutus/Publications/Documents/NHS_Job_Evaluation_Handbook_third_edition.pdf

Thats just for starters. You need to speak with one of the tu branch officers for some guidance and answers, espacially if NHS isn't your background.

Is your job profile contained here http://www.nhsemployers.org/PayAndContracts/AgendaForChange/NationalJobProfiles/Documents/Public_Relations.pdf

GrannyKate

Welcome to the unique world of working for the NHS.

It is very unusual nowadays for someone to move between 2 pay bands just like that and without any appointment process especially in the current world of redundancies and change in the NHS where there may be existing staff at risk.

Agenda for Change pay banding is complex and the skill mix across the NHS calls for some specialisation from about Grade 4 upwards. A job profile may score relatively high in some areas but the overall grade may not be at Senior Manager (8a upwards) level. There is nothing unusual in a Grade 6 post having some budget responsibility and what you have described looks to be about level 3 of 6 in this area of responsibility. Having said that you need to know what you are being asked to sign for and what the criteria are for orders which will have been set by the department budget holder.

FOI - are you signing off for the whole organisation as in being the person responsible for the processing of FOI requests? Every HNS Organisation must have an FOIA policy and procedure which should explain where accountabilities lie. It is also mandatory for the person managing FOIA to be trained so I would be speaking to the Information Governance lead asap. This is all covered by an annual assessment which all NHS organisations must submit. In law the Chief Executive is accountable for FOIA responses and you could certainly not be blamed for making a mistake when you are untrained. It is, however, an incredibly stressful and complex role.

It may well be worth talking to HR about your concerns or the union if you are in one.

Coraline

ohreally wrote: »

Get reading http://www.nhsemployers.org/Aboutus/Publications/Documents/NHS_Job_Evaluation_Handbook_third_edition.pdf

Thats just for starters. You need to speak with one of the tu branch officers for some guidance and answers, espacially if NHS isn't your background.

Is your job profile contained here http://www.nhsemployers.org/PayAndContracts/AgendaForChange/NationalJobProfiles/Documents/Public_Relations.pdf

Thank you. The responsibilities I am covering are the band 8a but Im put on the lowest levels of communications.

Im new to the NHS and the UK and am frightened to make too many waves, and at the same time determined to get what I deserve. Im not alone in my office feeling like this, we are basically making up our jobs as we go along, but things are hitting a breaking point.

I am worried that what they are trying to do is not really legal, but I don't know all the complexities.

Coraline

addendum...I joined a union last week because I started seeing warning signs that things are very mismanaged but I don't know if I have the right to contact them now...I'm still waiting for my paper work!