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Latest Updates |
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LATEST UPDATE |
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AOT CONFERENCE @ STRATFORD-upon-AVON |
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HPC Agenda For Change Update Following the AOT committee meeting on Friday 13th 2006, I am able to give the membership the latest update regarding our inclusion to the Health Professions Council, Agenda for Change and where we are at with compiling and publishing a national profile for the Orthopaedic Technician. Under Agenda For Change all posts in the NHS (excluding medical and dental staff and executive directors) are currently in the process of being re -banded (pay bands 1-9). All posts will be awarded a pay band via one of two routes. The first route is where a panel of Job Matchers attempt to job match a post holder’s job description against a nationally agreed and published profile. This route will be successful in approximately 80% of cases. If this route fails OR there is no National Profile for the post then the second route of Job Evaluation is used. In this case the post holder is required to complete and submit a JAQ to the Job Evaluation panel. Unfortunately there is as yet no National Profile for Orthopaedic Technicians. It is important to remember that the AOT have no authority or power to publish National Profiles. This can only be done with the agreement and consent of the National Profiles Group within the Department of Health. The AOT are however currently in dialogue with the National Profiles Group and are lobbying them of the need to agree and publish National Profiles for Orthopaedic Technicians. To this extent we have forwarded them Draft National Profiles for Orthopaedic Technicians (MTO 2 = Band 5 and MTO3 = Band 6) in the hope that they will agree and publish these profiles for use. Disappointingly, they do not agree with our profiles and suggest we are matched with Health Care Scientist and the banding will come out around 3 – 4 possibly a 5. The Association strongly disagree with this assessment and will be making further representation. The AOT has sought the advice of Andrew Davis, a senior orthopaedic technician and staff side lead for AFC at his trust and he is also a member of the job-matching panel. As you know BOA sub-casting committee in conjunction with the university of Nottingham are looking at ways of linking the training and practical exam programme to one of the recognised national educational qualifications. The application to join the Health Professions Council has also been seriously disrupted with the starting timescale being extended to 2007. We are extremely disappointed with the Department Of Health’s decision that have told us this is due to a change in government policy and is under review. However, we are continuing to process our application in readiness for when it is our turn to be regulated. The association has been extremely active on several fronts. The HPC, Agenda For Change and compiling a national profile and help working towards a new educational curriculum for orthopaedic technicians. It is good that we continue to help each other with wording of job descriptions and JAC forms, but remember; they MUST reflect the job that YOU are currently performing and not what a colleague is doing 100 miles up the road. The Association has come a long way in the past few years but there is a long tough road ahead. Please do not get impatient and blame the AOT committee for doing nothing – we are in fact doing an awful lot. We need to stick together, congratulate the ones who get the banding they deserve and help the ones who are struggling to attain theirs, but above all, more than ever before we need to pull together and in the SAME direction. We must also INCREASE MEMBERSHIP. There will be an in depth presentation and discussion on all the above issues at the AGM in Stratford Upon – Avon. June 4th 2006.
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