Is this NHS increment date correct?

SamDude

I'm asking this on behalf of a family member as she (or me) can't find a conclusive answer.

In the last month, she has moved from a band 4 role to a band 5 role.
She joined the NHS in October 2008 and the increment date on recent payslips was "10 Oct 2012". This is 4 years after she started. She only has payslips for the last 3/4 years, so I can't check them prior to 2018ish. She would have reached the top of band 4 in Oct 2011, so I'm not sure why the inc date is Oct 2012?

Now that she has moved to band 5, on the most recent payslip (Sept 2023), the increment date has changed to "1 September 2024". This will be the first anniversary of when she started the band 5 role.

The question is - if the band 5 increment/increase is at 2 years, what is the reason why the increment date is Sept 2024?

Should the increment date be:

• "1 Sept 2023" (when she commenced the role), or
• "1 Sept 2025" (when she gets to two years service in the band 5 role and eligible for an increase)

TheSpiddalKid

From Agenda for Change Handbook

• Pay step dates

  1.15 For newly appointed or promoted staff their pay step date will be the date they take up their post.

  1.16 Advancement to the next pay step point will be dependent on the length of stay at each pay step point within each band.

https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/tchandbook

So the increment date is 1st September and the pay journey will be as follows

1st September 2023, Pay step 1
1st September 2024, pay step 2
1st September 2025, pay step 3 (pay affecting increment to middle of the band)
1st September 2026, pay step 4
1st September 2027, pay step 5 (pay affecting increment to top of the band)

SamDude

Thanks @TheSpiddalKid - that is what we knew (and thought) that there would be an increase after 2 years (Sept 2025) and 4 years (Sept 2027).

The bit that we are questioning is - why is the increment date on the payslip stated as "1 Sept 2024" (which is pay step 2)?
 

TheSpiddalKid

It is because ESR is based on a very old technology which over time has been built on but never replaced or upgraded and this is a consequence,


The field in ESR will tell it the date of the next increment point, which is still yearly even though not all are pay affecting so it shows as 02-Sep-2024. It's possible to write some code to convert this to say just 02-Sep on the payslip but it's probably not a very high priority for the trust. 

SamDude

Thanks again - clunky legacy technology is the best answer, and my relative shouldn't consider it as the next pay increment date... 

EnPointe

i suspect as others have said this a hangover from  the original  lots of increments AfC pay scales which the ESR  was designed around  

and  they've kludged it  so the  yearly steps that don;t attract an increment  are the  same of the previous increment