How does job advancement in the nhs work?

There are two different types of rules which get talked about in the NHS. One is for doctors, and one is for everyone else.

There are two different types of banding which get talked about in the NHS. One is for doctors, and one is for everyone else.

The one for doctors is not related to career level, just to number of hours worked and proportion of out-of-hours work. It acts as a multiplier of basic salary - so a 1A banded job, which is the highest band, pays 1.5 x the basic salary for a doctor of that level. Junior doctors' pay increases each year if they progress through training levels - you can see a basic table on page 4 of this document: http://www.nhsemployers.org/~/media/Employers/Documents/Pay%20and%20reward/Pay%20and%20Conditions%20Circular%20MD%2012015.pdf

For non-doctors, "banding" means something else entirely and is related to their position on the Agenda for Change payscale. This means that all non-doctor hospital staff are on the same payscale, which has been decided based on the relative complexity, intensity etc of the different jobs. I think a staff nurse or newly qualified physio is a band 5, while a medical secretary might be a 3 or 4, and a ward sister a 7. It goes up to 9, but they are mostly management-level jobs. There are also subdivisions of pay within each band, which I think you progress through based on time in service and increasing skill levels. You can see on that link that there is some overlap so for example an experienced staff nurse might earn more than someone starting in a band 6 post. However, it's more difficult to actually move up to a whole new band unless you actually apply for a more senior post. You would not get moved down a paygrade unless changing into a different job. Doctors are not part of the Agenda for Change payscale, so this information is largely irrelevant for us.

Out of interest Helenia, are registrars and consultants also paid banding?