The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust has announced that it will transition 1,350 ambulance crew members and trainees from pay band four into pay band five, following a re-evaluation of job descriptions.
Under the NHS' Agenda for Change terms and conditions of service, employees in the fourth pay band receive between £21,089 and £23,761 per year, depending on their length of service. Band five, meanwhile, pays between £24,214 and £30,112, also based on tenure.
The NHS trust will transition all emergency ambulance crew members to receive a band five salary from September 2019, with pay backdated to 1 March 2019.
In addition, staff undergoing training at the trust’s education centres and operational placement centres, or posted to a group station while in a consolidation period, will also see an increase in wages. Currently, these individuals receive a percentage of a band four salary; from September 2019, this will increase so that trainee staff will receive the same percentage of salary within pay band five. Where applicable, this will also be backdated to 1 March 2019.
These changes were implemented following an evaluation of job descriptions conducted by the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust’s job evaluation panel, as well as after discussions at a staff council meeting on 31 July 2019.
The London Ambulance Service has paused recruitment for emergency ambulance crew roles while a new Agenda for Change band four job description and contract is developed. The new pay structure, therefore, does not apply to individuals within the recruitment pipeline who do not have a formal contract of employment.
Paul Woodrow, director of operations at London Ambulance Service, said: “Following our extensive discussions with staff-side union representatives, the roles of emergency ambulance crew and trainee emergency ambulance crew in our service have been taken through a formal job evaluation process in accordance with Agenda for Change. As a result of this process, these roles have been successfully re-banded to band five.
“All clinicians currently working at these levels will now be transitioned to this band. This confirms the commitment the service has to better reflect the skills and requirements placed on our non-registered clinicians, recognising the enhanced level of capability we require to give patients the best care for their needs.”
Gordon White, regional organiser at trade union GMB, added: “We are delighted that the collective voice of the staff is being listened to and [that the] London Ambulance Service [is] starting to properly value our members.
“GMB asked for a re-evaluation of the [emergency ambulance crew] and [trainee emergency ambulance crew] role back in January 2019. This was taken forward in March 2019 and the re-evaluation panel agreed that this was a band five role.
“This is good news for our vast membership within the [London Ambulance Service] and for the treatment [the] patients will receive.
“This latest announcement ensures that trainees' time is recognised and valued too. Our emergency ambulance crews and trainees are in the front line, helping those most in need when they most need it.
“It is a very welcome announcement that has seen jobs re-evaluated and pay uplifted. This is a step in the right direction to properly reflect the skills and dedication that these heroes bring to the job.”
