§ Mr. BaronTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect "Agenda for 319W Change" will have on the pay levels for speech and language therapists; and if he will make a statement on how it will affect their professional status. [142627]
§ Mr. HuttonAs part of the agreement with trades unions earlier this year on the new national health service pay system, "Agenda for Change", NHS speech and language therapists, like other health service workers, will receive a minimum 10 per cent. increase in basic pay over the period 2003–04 to 2005–06. It is too early to assess in more detail the impact of "Agenda for Change" on speech and language therapists' pay levels. The impact will vary between posts depending on a range of factors, including the national job profile to which the particular post matches or—where there is no match with a national profile—the results of local job evaluation. The national job profiles for speech and language therapists have only recently been agreed with the trade unions.
"Agenda for Change" will provide a framework for pay and career progression that is fair, consistent and transparent across all groups of NHS staff. It provides greater opportunities to recognise and reward NHS staff who take on extra responsibilities and use increased knowledge and skills in their work. It provides greater scope to create new roles that enable staff to deliver more patient-centred care.