NHS Education for Scotland: Equal Pay Statement
This statement has been agreed in partnership and approved by the NHS Education for Scotland (NES) Board. It will be reviewed on a regular basis by the NES Executive Team,Partnership Forum and Staff Governance Committee.
NES is committed to the principles of equality of opportunity in employment and believes that staff should receive equal pay for the same or broadly similar work, or work rated as equivalent and for work of equal value, regardless of their age, disability, ethnicity or race, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy/maternity, political beliefs, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
NES understands that the right to equal pay between women and men is a legal right under both domestic and European Law. In addition, the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties)(Scotland) Regulations[1] require NES to take the following steps:
- Publish gender pay gap information by 30 April 2013, using the specific calculation set out in the Regulations.
- Publish a statement on equal pay between men and women by 30 April 2013, and to include the protected characteristics of race and disability in the second and subsequent statements from 2017 onwards.
NES recognises that in order to achieve equal pay for employees doing the same or broadly similar work, work rated as equivalent, or work of equal value, it should operate pay systems which are transparent, based on objective criteria and free from unlawful bias.
It is good practice and reflects the values of NES that pay is awarded fairly and equitably.
In line with the General Duty of the Equality Act 2010, our objectives are to:
- Eliminate unfair, unjust or unlawful practices and other discrimination that impact on pay equality
- Promote equality of opportunity and the principles of equal pay throughout the workforce.
- Promote good relations between people sharing different protected characteristics in the implementation of equal pay.
We will:
- Review this policy, statement and action points, in partnership, with trade unions and professional organisations as appropriate, every 2 years and provide a formal report within 4 years;
- Inform employees as to how pay practices work and how their own pay is determined;
- Ensure managers are providedwith guidance and advice regarding decisions about pay, benefits and grading;
- Continually review the implementation of our existing and future pay practices for all our employees, including part-time workers, those on fixed term contracts or contracts of unspecified duration, and those on pregnancy, maternity or other authorised leave;
- Undertake regular monitoring of the impact of our practices in line with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010;
- Consider, and where appropriate, undertake a planned programme of equal pay reviews in line with guidance to be developed in partnership with the relevanttrade unions and professional organisations.
Responsibility for implementing this policy is held by the NES Chief Executive.
Any member of staff who wishes to raise a concern should in the first instance do this informally with their Line Manager or Human Resources. Should the issue remain unresolved staff can use the NES Grievance Procedure to formally raise their concerns.
Malcolm Wright
Chief Executive
NHS Education for Scotland
April 2013
Equal Payand Gender Occupational Segregation Analysis: Information on the staffing establishment within NHS Education for Scotland
Introduction
NHS Education Scotland (NES) is a special health board responsible for supporting NHS frontline services delivered to the people of Scotland by developing and delivering education, training and workforce development for those who work in NHSScotland. Our business covers the undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing professional development continuum supported by effective research.
We aim to be an exemplar employer, promoting gender equality across the organisation, through equal pay and the elimination of gender bias in NES’s employment practices. NES aims to apply nationally agreed pay systems to its staff in a just and equitable manner, as is the legal right of every employee.
Employee data
Employee data within NES is held onour HR system. This is an information management system, accessible only by authorised users and contains employee information gathered and managed in accordance with data protection principles.
Profile of NES Workforce
The NES workforce profile is complex. We employ a number of staff for whom NES is their main employer with the majority employedunder National Health Service Agenda for Change (A4C) Contract and Terms & Conditions of employment. We also employ a significant number of staff for whom NES is not the primary employer. In the main these staff are on NHS Consultant and General Practice (GP) and General Dental Practice(GDP) Educator contracts of employment. They undertake sessional work for us with their primary contract of employment being with NHS Scotland Territorial Boards. They are remunerated by NES on the pay determined by their substantive employer which in most instances is the Territorial Boards.
In August 2011 NES became the employer of all General Practice SpecialtyTrainees (GPStR’s) in Scotland while they are undertaking the GP Practice component of their training. They are employed on a nationally agreed training contract.
We also employ staff on NHS Scotland Executive contracts of employment (Executive Cohort) which are evaluated using national grading policies with prescribed pay ranges and terms and conditions of employment.A4C is a nationally negotiated and agreed NHS contract of employment which includes provisions on pay, pay progression and terms and conditions of employment. Consultant and other clinical contracts are also national contractual agreements which prescribe pay, pay progression and terms and conditions.
Gender Profile
The following section provides an overview of the number of women and men employed by NES in the different contractual groups as at 31 December 2012. The gender split expressed as a percentage of the total workforce, based on headcount. However, providing information on headcount alone could result in a misleading picture of the overall size of the NES workforce due to the high number of staff employed on part-time or sessional contracts. Therefore, we have also included information which describes our overall staffing in terms of whole time equivalents (WTE).
In the following analysis, the first table in each section provides the gender composition of the staff grouping on the basis of total headcount, and the second on the basis of WTE.
- Total Staffing (all contract types)
Gender profile by headcount and WTE
Gender / Headcount / % / WTE / %Male / 384 / 30.9% / 320.7 / 30.5%
Female / 860 / 69.1% / 731.7 / 69.5%
Total / 1244 / 1052.4
- Executive Cohort (including A4C Band 9)
Gender profile by headcount and WTE
Gender / Headcount / % / WTE / %Male / 2 / 28.6% / 2.0 / 28.6%
Female / 5 / 71.4% / 5.0 / 71.4%
Total / 7 / 7
- Agenda for Change
Gender profile by headcount and WTE
Gender / Headcount / % / WTE / %Male / 139 / 21.9% / 128.43 / 23.4%
Female / 497 / 78.1% / 421.12 / 76.7%
Total / 636 / 549.55
- Consultants/GP/GDP Educator[2]
Gender profile by headcount and WTE
Gender / Headcount / % / WTE / %Male / 81 / 64.8% / 29.6 / 64.9%
Female / 44 / 35.2% / 16.0 / 35.1%
Total / 125 / 45.6
- GPStRs (GP Trainees)
Gender profile by headcount[3]and WTE
Gender / Headcount / % / WTE / %Male / 162 / 34.0% / 160.7 / 35.7%
Female / 314 / 66.0% / 289.6 / 64.3%
Total[4] / 476 / 450.3
Further information on our pay bands and workforce headcount is set out in Appendix 1.
Diversity Profile
NES undertakes regular monitoring of the diversity profile of its workforce, with disclosure rates of over 90% for all protected characteristics described below. Data is analysed and reported on a quarterly basis to the Executive Team, Partnership Forum and Staff Governance Committee. A detailed analysis which benchmarks our profile against the Scottish population is also published annually in our Workforce Plan[5].
Ethnicity
The majority of NES staff are white. Four (4) %of the workforce are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, predominantly Asian communities. Our disclosure ratewas 96% in 2012.
Disability
Just over 3% of the workforce identified themselves as disabled in 2012, declaring a range of disabilities. Just over 1% of staff declined to answer- a reduction from 4% from previous years; just over 4% preferred not to say.
Religion
Forty-eight (48) % of the workforce identified themselves as Christian and 37% as belonging to no religion. A variety of other religious backgrounds, including Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh are represented in the workforce although the overall numbers from these communities is small. In 2012 our disclosure rate for religion or belief increased to just over 90%.
Age
The largest age cohort in our workforce is in the range45-54 years, with ages16-24 and age 65+ age groups being the lowest age groups represented.
Sexual Orientation
Just over 90% of the workforce identified themselves as heterosexual, with 2% declining to answer and 6% preferring not to say.
Gender
The NES workforce is predominantly female (69.1%). Women are more likely than men to work on a part time basis.
Analysis of Working Patterns by Gender
The table below provides an analysis of the number and gender of the NES workforce that work in a part time or in a sessional capacity
Gender / Number Working Part Time / %Male / 94 / 7.5%
Female / 281 / 22.5%
Total / 375 / 30.14%
This table illustrates that 7.5% of men and 22.5% of women employed by NES work part time.[6] Overall a significant portion of our workforce-(nearly one-third)-are employed part time.
Vertical Occupational Segregation: Analysis by band and gender
The following table provides an analysis of the workforce by gender and band for each contract group.
Headcount by Gender and GradeContract Group:
Agenda for Change / Female total / % of total female workforce / Male total / % of total male workforce / Overall Total
Band 2 / 12 / 2.4% / 3 / 2.1% / 15
Band 3 / 77 / 15.3% / 16 / 11.3% / 93
Band 4 / 75 / 14.9% / 15 / 10.6% / 90
Band 5 / 101 / 20.1% / 18 / 12.8% / 119
Band 6 / 55 / 11.0% / 21 / 14.9% / 76
Band 7 / 76 / 15.1% / 28 / 19.9% / 104
Band 8 (a-d) / 101 / 20.1% / 38 / 27.0% / 139
Band 9 / 2 / 0.4% / 1 / 0.7% / 3
Executive Cohort / 3 / 0.6% / 1 / 0.7% / 4
Group A Total / 502 / 100.0% / 141 / 100.0% / 643
Contract Group / Female total / % of total female workforce / Male total / % of total male workforce / Overall Total
GP/GDP Educator / 39 / 88.6% / 74 / 91.4% / 113
Consultant / 5 / 11.4% / 7 / 8.6% / 12
Group B Total / 44 / 100.0% / 81 / 100.0% / 125
Contract Group / Female total / % of total GPST workforce / Male total / % of total GPST workforce / Overall Total
GP Trainees[7] / 314 / 66.0% / 162 / 34.0% / 476
SalaryRange / Female total / % of total workforce / Male total / % of total workforce / Overall Total
All Grades / 860 / 69.1% / 361 / 30.9% / 1244
1
This table shows there are gender differences between the various workforce contract groups. The workforce contracted under A4C(78.1%) and Executive Cohort arrangements (71.4%) is predominantly female. The workforce contracted under GP/GDP Educator and Consultant arrangements, is predominantly male (64.8%). It is worth noting however that sixty six (66.0%) of the GPStRworkforce is female.
The table above shows that in the A4C contract group there is a gender difference in the distribution of the workforce across pay bands. Females work mostly in Bands 5 and 8 irrespective of whether they work part time or full time. In contrast, nearly 50% of males on A4C contracts are employed at Band 7 or above.
NES employs a significant number of part time staff working at bands 8a-8d. The majority of the workforce in these bands (both male and female) work part time for NES in educational roles and are also substantively employed in other health boards or health and care services very often in clinical roles.
Females who work part time are distributed throughout bands 2-8. Other than the band 8 staff described above, very few men in these bands work part time. There are no part time staff in Band 9 or in the Executive Cohort however the overall number of staff on these bands (7) is very small.
The majority of the Consultant and GP/GDP Educator contract groups-both male and female-are employed part time by NES.This cohort is predominantly male (64.8%).
The GP Specialty Trainee cohort has a high percentage of women (66.0%). Part time working is common amongst this cohort with10.08% of females and 0.42% of males in these training posts working part time.
NES aims to be a family friendly employer and has implemented a range of policies which aim to enable the workforce to achieve work life balance and to enable NES to attract and retain a diverse workforce.The analysis of our workforceshows that a significant number of women work for NES on a part time basis and that a significant number of GP Trainees, both male and female, are choosing to work part time.
Horizontal occupational segregation
The following table provides information about the distribution of women and men in different types of jobs within NES.
Horizontal Occupational Segregation by Gender*Occupational Group / Female / Male
Administrative Services / 89.7% / 10.3%
Communications / 76.5% / 23.5%
Corporate Services / 50.0% / 50.0%
Directors / 62.5% / 37.5%
Education - Agenda for Change / 81.7% / 18.3%
Education - non Agenda for Change / 35.5% / 64.5%
Finance / 74.4% / 25.6%
GP Speciality Registrar / 66.0% / 34.0%
Human Resources / 82.9% / 17.1%
Information Systems/Technology / 39.4% / 60.6%
Total / 69.1% / 30.9%
*Calculated using headcount
The table shows that the majority of staff in administrative services and Human Resources are women and the majority in Information Systems/Technology are men. This reflects the general workforce profile in Scotland. NES does have a higher number of women in finance and director posts than average[8]. The high number of women in GPStR posts illustrates the changing gender composition of the GP workforce[9].
NES employs significant numbers of staff in educational roles. This includes sessional clinical educational staff (Consultants, GP and General Dental Practice educators), the majority of whom are male and educational project managers, practice educators, trainers and educational programme directors on Agenda for Change terms. The majority of this latter group are women and are mostly involved with multiprofessional educational programmes or leading programmes in nursing, midwifery, allied health professions, psychology or pharmacy. This reflects wider patterns of gender occupational segregation in the service, with more men represented in medicine and dentistry and a high percentage of women in the other professional groups. NES’s staffing is reflective of the pool from which it is recruited.
Gender Pay Gap
The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations specify the method that public authorities must use to calculate their gender pay gap. The Regulations stipulate that public authorities must first calculate the average hourly pay for women and for men for all staff (based on headcount), including all elements of pay (e.g. discretionary bonuses or awards) but excluding overtime, and then calculate the percentage difference between women’s and men’s hourly pay.
Because we employ staff on different sets of nationally agreed terms and conditions, we carried out a detailed analysisof women’s and men’s pay within each pay band of the A4C contract group, the Consultant and GP/GDP Educator contract group and the GPStR contract group. We then calculated the overall gender pay gap following the guidance issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
In presenting the information set out below, the nature of the calculations- based on average pay figures- means that the data is very susceptible to being skewed by small numbers of outlying pay levels. This is very relevant for the profile of the NES workforce and the data below needs to be reviewed within that context.
The gender pay gap has been calculated as the percentage difference between women’s and men’s average hourly pay which gives an overall gender pay gap in NES of 22.7%. Our more detailed analysis shows that within the particular sets of contractual terms, the overall gender pay gap is relatively low:-
Hourly Pay rate and gender pay gap
National Contractual Arrangements / Female / Male / Gap [10]Female / Male
Agenda for Change / £16.36 / £17.70 / 7.6%
Executive Cohort (including A4C Band 9) / £46.91 / £56.34 / 16.7%
Consultant & GP/GDP Educators / £42.95 / £44.79 / 4.1%
GP Speciality Trainees / £25.00 / £25.79 / 3.1%
This analysis shows there is not a consistent pattern of pay inequality within contract groups. When all NES staff are considered as a single group, the gender pay gap rises to 22.7%.Our gender pay gap results from two main factors:
- the higher proportion of men employed in sessional educational roles on Consultant and GP/GDP Educator contract arrangements that have higher rates of pay when compared to the Agenda for Change pay scale (see Appendix 1); and
- the uneven distribution of women and men across A4C pay bands, where nearly 50% of men but only about 36% of women are employed at Band 7 and above.
Summary
The information in this statement shows that NES has a predominantly female workforce (69.1%) and this workforce is represented across all the contract groups within the organisation. This does not reflect the trend nationally with men comprising 76.6% of the working populationand women 10% less.
7.5% of men and 22.5% of women employed by NES work part time. Overall a significant portion of our workforce-(nearly one-third)-are employed part time.
NES applies nationally negotiated contracts of employment for the different workforce groups which includes pay and grading structures and terms and conditions of employment. There is no evidence that gender informs the level of pay for any post within NES.
There is some evidence of gender occupational segregation within NES. Men are more likely to work in Information Systems and Technology or Corporate Services, or to be employed by NES as sessional educational staff. Although NES employs significant numbers of both women and men in educational functions, the distribution of women and men in different areas of education reflects wider patterns of the composition of different professional groups in the health care workforce. A relatively higher proportion of men are employed at A4C band 7 or higher. This contributes to a gender pay gap, with a larger proportion of men employed at higher salaries.
However NES also shows patterns which are not typical of national trends. For example NES employs a significant number of women in finance roles and 2/3rds of NES staff employed at executive level are women, which is significantly higher than the national average.
Part time workers are represented across the pay bands, with the exception of the Executive Cohort and Agenda for Change Band 9. Part time workers have access to a range of roles within NES