The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework

1. The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework Overview of the KSF

2. NHS KSF - Main Purpose • To provide an NHS-wide framework that can be used consistently across the service to support: • personal development in post • career development • service development

3. 9 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 Agenda for Change Pay Structure Gateway PayBand Incremental Pay Points Development Development Gateway

4. What the NHS KSF is Not • It does not seek to describe what people are like or their attitudes • It does not describe the exact knowledge and skills that people need to develop • It does not determine job weight or pay band

5. Structure of the NHS KSF • 30 dimensions •   6 core dimensions for all posts • 24 specific dimensions • Each dimension has 4 level descriptors • Further supported by indicators • Clear examples of application that can be applied to different posts

6. NHS KSF Communication Equality & Diversity Personal & People Development Service Improvement Quality Health, Safety & Security 6 Core Dimensions

7. NHS KSF Health & Well-being HWB 1-10 Information & Knowledge IK 1-3 Estates & Facilities EF 1-3 General G 1-8 24 Specific Dimensions (in four groups)

8. 4 levels to each dimension • Eg Personal and People Development: • Level 1 Contribute to own personal development • Level 2 Develop oneself and provide information to others to help their development • Level 3 Develop oneself and contribute to the development of others • Leve 4 Develop oneself and others in an area of practice.

9. Develop own skills and knowledge and provide information to others to help their development: Takes responsibility for own personal development and takes an active part in learning opportunities Offers information to otherswhen it will help their development and/or help them to meet work demands Offering information to others might include: During induction During ongoing work When changes are being made to work practices Personal & People Development, Level 2: Examples of Application: Indicators:

10. The KSF & Personal Development - Lifelong Learning • Commitment to annual development reviews and development of all individuals • Everyone to have a personal development plan • Everyone is expected to learn and develop within their job role • Enshrined in the AFC Agreement – part of everyone’s terms and conditions

11. The NHS KSF - Summary • Identifies the knowledge and skills that people need to apply in their post • Helps guide development • Provides a fair and objective framework on which to base review • Provides the basis of pay progression in the service

12. The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework KSF Outlines

13. What is a full KSF Post Outline? • Identifies the KSF dimensions and levels that apply to a post in the NHS – a broad outline • Puts the outline in context through identifying the specific areas/activities to which the dimensions and levels are applied • Sets out the ‘foundation subset’ as well as the full outline for the post • Agreed in partnership

14. Outlines - Dimensions • All core dimensions must be included • Specific dimensions should reflect the major areas for development within the post • The number of specific dimensions should be kept to the minimum necessary to cover the post • KSF Dimensions do not influence pay bands

15. HWB10 Products to meet health and well-being needs CORE KSF Post Outline Catering Assistant

16. HWB7 Interventions and treatments HWB6 Assessment & treatment planning CORE G6 People Management Ik2 Information Collection & analysis KSF Post Outline A Healthcare Practitioner

17. Required for post? Level for post CORE 1 2 3 4 Communication Y Personal and People Development Y Health, safety and security Y Service Improvement Y Quality Y Equality and diversity Y SPECIFIC DIMENSIONS HWB10 Products to meet health and well-being needs Y Title of Post: Catering Assistant KSF Post Outline

18. Required for post? Level for post CORE 1 2 3 4 Communication Y x Personal and People Development Y x Health, safety and security Y x Service Improvement Y x Quality Y x Equality and diversity Y x SPECIFIC DIMENSIONS HWB10 Products to meet health and well-being needs Y x Title of Post : Catering Assistant KSF Post Outline

19. Title of Post : Catering Assistant Required for post? Level for post CORE 1 2 3 4 Communication Y x Personal and People Development Y x Health, safety and security Y x Service Improvement Y x Quality Y x Equality and diversity Y x SPECIFIC DIMENSIONS HWB10 Products to meet health and well-being needs Y x KSF Post Outline

20. KSF Dimension Levels • There are only four! • Points do not mean prizes! • It is in everyone’s interest to make sure the level is the right one for the post

21. KSF OutlinesSpecific areas of application • Review all the examples from the KSF Handbook • Think about the specific post: • Is the example fully appropriate? If so leave it unchanged • If it is too general, or only partly relevant – then amend it • If it is inappropriate or irrelevant, delete it altogether, and consider if it should be replaced with something else • Add in any areas of application which are important for the post, but not included in the handbook examples

22. Purpose of a Foundation Gateway Subset • To focus development in the first year on enabling the individual meet the essential demands of the post • To check that the individual is likely to develop to meet the full demands of the post over a number of years • To inform recruitment and selection processes

23. Options for Developing the Subset • To develop a foundation gateway subset you can: • Reduce the level at which the individual needs to be working within a dimension • Reduce the number of indicators that apply within a dimension • Reduce the specific areas of application within a dimension • Use a combination of these approaches

24. Keep it Simple and Feasible! [KSF] • Don’t aim for absolute perfection – refine outlines after they have been tested in use • Be practical and pragmatic – this is about supporting staff development • Enjoy the process – it’s a great way to understand NHS roles and how they interact together

25. The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework KSF Development Reviews

26. The NHS KSF and Development Review • KSF outline developed for each post • Individual is matched against the KSF outline for their post • Personal development plans jointly agreed and supported • Individual supported to learn (in a variety of ways) • Joint evaluation of learning

27. Joint reviewofindividual’s work against the NHS KSF outline for the post Joint evaluation of applied learning and development Jointly produce Personal Development Plan - identify needs & agree goals Individuals undertake supported learning & development Development Review Process

28. Development Review Process • The development review should be a focussed discussion about how the individual is doing against the appropriate outline for their post • The emphasis should be on development – what has been achieved in the past year and what needs to be achieved in the next year • Most of the ‘evidence’ provided will be verbal – part of the discussion process, based on the manager and individual’s views of how they are getting on at work • Each development review will result in a personal development plan (PDP) setting out the individuals development needs and how these will be met

29. Information for Reviews • Clear links to what the individual does at work • Use what is already available (eg observations of work, records, staff supervision notes) • Same information as would be used in a good quality appraisal system - don’t create a paper chase!

30. Gateway Reviews • Same process as other reviews • Build on the information gathered over time i.e. not isolated incidents but assessments which review the information gathered • Information at gateways can be from others (besides individuals and their managers) e.g. 360o feedback if available, information from colleagues

31. Foundation and Second Gateways • Foundation gateway review against subset of full KSF outline for the post • 2nd gateway review against full KSF post outline • The Foundation subset contains the elements of the outline that are essential for all postholders within the first year of appointment.

32. Responsibilities in the Review • There is a responsibility on both the individual member of staff and their manager to review how the individual is applying their knowledge and skills to meet the demands of the post as described in the KSF outline • It is important that both managers and staff prepare in advance by thinking through whether there are any likely development needs and how these might be met.

33. Manager’s Responsibility • Regular informal discussions with individual staff member throughout the year • Providing constructive feedback on the individual’s work and related development • Any issues with the individual’s work must have been discussed prior to the formal review meeting – ‘no surprises’

34. Keep it Simple and Feasible! • The KSF process should not be difficult or onerous! • It is not helpful to over-complicate KSF outlines (eg by including too many dimensions, or leaving in examples of application which are not relevant to the post • The development review should focus on: • making sure the individual is aware of and understands their KSF outline • identifying development needs (if any) in order to help them fulfil the outline • agreeing a PDP which sets out how the development needs will be met • There is no requirement for complex or extensive written evidence