Job Evaluation Audit and KPI data collection technical guidance

This guidance contains information that will support those tasked with collecting and reporting job evaluation data.

This technical guidance will be useful to organisation chief executives, senior management teams and boards who hold local responsibility for ensuring compliance with the NHS job evaluation scheme (JES), reporting of associated data, and ensuring staff are paid equally for work of equal value, in line with the Equality Act 2010.

This data collection will allow us to have oversight and assurance of job evaluation scheme (JES) across the NHS. The NHS JES is used to determine the pay bands for all posts under the NHS terms and conditions of service (Agenda for Change) and plays a key role in making sure staff are paid equally for work of equal value, in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Getting this right is important for fairness and legal compliance, and the data collected will help ensure local NHS organisations are following the rules correctly. It will also support national oversight and improvement efforts.

This collection forms part of a wider plan to restore confidence, build capacity, and modernise the JE system. These actions were agreed as part of the 2023 ‘non-pay’ Agenda for Change deal, recommendations from which were agreed in principle by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (see: Written Ministerial Statement) and supported by NHS England executives (see: Agenda for Change non-pay deal recommendations – NHS job evaluation).

Initially, the focus will be on how organisations are applying JE across nursing and midwifery roles. This includes tracking performance through key indicators. The work is linked to a recent update of national job profiles for nursing and midwifery roles published by NHS Employers, on behalf of the NHS Staff Council (National nursing and midwifery job profile review ). Later, the collection will widen to cover the whole AfC workforce. An audit of JE practice informed by NHS Staff Council guidance, Action needed on job evaluation outcomes for N&M staff (Appendix 1) will also be undertaken.

The successful collection and use of JE data will enhance transparency and accountability in how JE is applied, helping to us understand and standardise JE practice across organisations to ensure accurate and fair evaluation of roles. This is key to maintaining equal pay for work of equal value and reducing any inconsistencies in how staff are banded under the AfC framework. A more coordinated and monitored approach will help mitigate financial, operational, and reputational risks that can arise from incorrection application of the JES and a lack of oversight.