Clause 6 - Terms and conditions of employment by health service bodies
Health and Social Care Bill
7:00 pm
Mr John Denham (Minister of State, Department of Health; Southampton, Itchen, Labour)
The hon. Gentleman may benefit from reading the proposals in ``Agenda for Change—Modernising the NHS Pay System'', which we are negotiating with the unions. It provides precisely the right balance between the national framework for employment, which the clause will ensure is followed in every trust, and the local flexibility needed by individual employees in the NHS.
The problems are an inflexible employment structure, even on existing national Whitley contracts, a working week that ranges from 35 to 39 hours and big variations in payments for unsocial hours. That makes it difficult to introduce team working and to break down demarcations between professions, both of which are essential to the modernised NHS. The previous Government dealt with the problems by sweeping away such considerations and allowing full local contracts. However, in practice there is an even more complex and inflexible system at local level. That is the impetus for change in the NHS suggested by the hon. Gentleman's theories.
Our pay modernisation proposals envisage local flexibility within a consistent national framework. For example, in the current negotiations we want NHS trusts to be flexible in assigning jobs, but there will be a consistent national system for allocating them to a pay band. The exact point within a pay band to which someone is allocated should take into account local market forces and factors of the type we discussed. The right way properly to remunerate a flexible work force is to agree a national framework with NHS staff representatives, but to allow local flexibility. That must be part of our agreement, but we do not have the power at present to ensure that those employment conditions apply consistently in every trust in England. That is what the clause would provide.
Question accordingly agreed to.
Clause 6 ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Further consideration adjourned.—[Mr. Jamieson.]
Adjourned accordingly at thirteen minutes past Seven o'clock till Thursday 25 January at half-past Nine o'clock.