This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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NHS careers framework launched
25/10/2006
Staff and patients are set to benefit from a new careers framework for the health service.
The model will mean the whole NHS Scotland workforce, including those who have not enjoyed career progression in the past, can plan effectively for their future careers.
A nine level framework will be introduced based around core skills and competences and levels of responsibility. It is aimed at enabling all staff to progress their careers, aiding workforce planning and staff development so that services can be designed to fit the delivery of modern healthcare.
Launching the Framework, Mr Kerr said:
"Under Delivering for Health, our blueprint for the NHS, our aim is to tackle the causes of ill health and provide care which is better, quicker and closer to patients.
"To do this, we need a workforce which is flexible and confident in providing high quality and accessible care. The Careers Framework will help the NHS to deliver this.
"All staff, not just those with traditional career patterns, will be able to acquire and transfer job skills and competences from one role to another. This will enable them to aspire to new challenges and levels of responsibility. The Framework will also allow staff to transfer more easily across different NHS Boards.
"The NHS workforce is well known for its hard work and dedication, and it's only right that they receive a coherent career structure which meets their needs. In the end though, this not just about benefits for staff and employers. Patients will also enjoy a better health service if we can support staff to deliver safe, competent and professional care."
Today's announcement follows a positive response to the Career Framework consultation which was held between March and July 2006. The consultation included engagement with NHS Scotland Health Boards and key partners.
This overarching Career Framework for Scotland will initially be taken forward through linked frameworks for specific occupational groups. The first of these is nursing and the discussion on the direction for nurses and midwives was launched through Modernsing Nursing Careers.
The Careers Framework is aligned to pay modernisation so frontline staff are able to take their Knowledge and Skills Framework outlines and build a personal development plan with competences for their current or future level of development. A workforce with the maximum levels of skills will be able to deliver effective and contemporary healthcare for patients.
Many job titles are used in the NHS - some jobs share a title but do not do the same role and similar jobs with different titles do the same role. This is at best confusing, and at times misleading. The Framework will establish the same terminology to describe the levels of responsibility so that staff are enabled to transfer between employers and better understand how jobs irrespective of title relate to each other.