TranslateAppraisals and Pay Progression in ESR
Appraisals
From January 2023 all Appraisals for AfC staff at LUHFT MUST be recorded within ESR following a move away from the third party WorkPal system.
Appraisals can be recorded in one of two ways, using either the Employee Initiated Approach or the Manager Initiated Approach.
Employee Initiated Approach
This approach is started by the Employee being appraised and does not rely on the ESR Supervisor Hierarchy. The Main Appraiser does not require Supervisor Self Service access.
Manager Initiated Approach
This approach is started by the Manager and relies on the ESR Supervisor Hierarchy, and Supervisor Self Service access. The Main Appraiser must sit above the employee being appraised. The Main Appraiser must have their smartcard to allow Supervisor Self Service access. If these requirements are not in place managers will not be able to add an appraisal. Contact workforce@liverpoolft.nhs.uk for any ESR support enquiries.
For detailed guidance on how to record an appraisal, using either the Employee Initiated Approach or the Manager Initiated Approach please refer to the guidance at the foot of this page. Following the guidance exactly as it appears will allow Appraisals to be correctly recorded within ESR.
(please note that appraisals recorded in ESR MUST be marked as complete to be counted towards compliance figures. Appraisals with a status of 'Saved for later', 'With Main Approver', or 'With Appraisee' are not counted as complete and will not be included against compliance figures)
For more detailed guidance on the actual Appraisals process and having a meaningful Appraisal Conversation please visit the Organisation Development Appraisals page on the Staff Hub available here.
Pay Progression
Pay Progression is a national policy implemented from 2019 to 2021 following reforms to the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay structure in 2018. These reforms introduced revised pay scales and replaced the automatic annual incremental pay rises for colleagues on AfC contracts.
Revised Pay Scales
The new pay scale structure introduced in 2019 contains 2 or 3 distinct rates per pay band. They are 'Entry', 'Intermediate' and 'Top'.
All bands have an 'Entry' and 'Top' pay step. 'Intermediate' pay steps are only applicable in Bands 5, 6 and 7 (excl. B2 which effectively became a single point salary April23)
It will take between 2 and 5 years to progress from 'Entry' to 'Top' pay step point, dependant on the band.
Annual pay increments should now be referred to as 'Pay Step Dates'. These will continue to occur annually.
When an AFC contracted employee is due to receive any pay increase, known as a Pay Affecting Pay Step Date, they are moving into the 'Intermediate' or 'Top' pay step.
Two months before this is due a Pay Progression Meeting must be completed by the employee with their manager. Certain performance standards must be met to receive a pay increase (Pay Affecting Pay Step), and details of the Pay Progression Meeting MUST be recorded in ESR for this to be processed.
See the below graphic which details the pay affecting pay steps points across the AfC bands and read on to find out about the performance standards that need to be met to achieve a Pay Progression!
(Please note that with effect of April 2023 the Band 2 salary scale changed to effectively one pay rate. As 'Entry Step' and 'Top Step' are the same amount Pay Progression meetings will not be required for Band 2 staff)
Criteria to Progress Up the Salary Scale
Pay Progression into the 'Intermediate' or 'Top' pay step points can only happen if the following criteria are satisfied following a Pay Progression Meeting:
- Completed Appraisal in the last 12 months
- Up to date mandatory training
- No formal capability process in place
- No formal disciplinary sanctions in place
- MANAGERS ONLY: Appraisals completed for all direct reports
The outcome of the pay progression meeting should be recorded on the declaration form found in the trust policy. Declaration forms can also be found and downloaded at the foot of this page. Declarations, signed by both employee and manager, are to be kept and stored locally as proof of the meeting and entitlement to the outcome.
IMPORTANT – RECORDING PAY PROGRESSION MEETINGS
MANAGERS ONLY: It is the manager’s responsibility to record the outcome of the Pay Progression Meeting in ESR. This must be done before 2nd day of the month when the pay increase (Pay Affecting Pay Step) is due to trigger payroll instructions. Please refer to the guidance at the foot of this page and follow it carefully to completion to ensure pay steps are opened as part of standard processing.
Delays recording a Pay Progression Meeting within ESR will impact processing of pay step increases.
Failure to record a Pay Progression Meeting within ESR will delay/prevent the processing of pay increases.
All Pay Progression Meetings MUST be recorded in ESR.
Deferral of pay progression must be recorded in ESR and details must also be emailed to the Employment Team (employment@liverpoolft.nhs.uk) for manual action.
If a Pay Progression meeting is recorded after the deadline managers MUST inform the Employment Team (employment@liverpoolft.nhs.uk) in order for increases to be manually actioned.
For further information on Pay Progression;
please refer to the guidance document for recording Pay Progression in ESR at the foot of this web page
please refer to the Trust Pay Progression policy available on the Staff Hub here.
please refer to National guidance on the NHS Employers website available here.
