1. IMPLEMENTING THE… NHS KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS FRAMEWORK ‘NHS KSF’

2. Agenda for Change and the KSF
"The HR Challenge for 2005 is in implementing Agenda for Change - the new integrated pay and learning system for all staff. My wish is that this should be successful, to the benefit of staff and patients alike.“
Andrew Foster quoted in ‘People Management’
Now we have looked at the design of the KSF, we move onto how it is put into practice.
The first stage is to develop a KSF outline for a post. As it says the focus of this stage is the post and not an individual. It involves identifying the dimensions, levels and areas of application for the post concerned.
The second stage is matching an individual post holder to the KSF post outline - this shows the individual’s strengths and where there are areas for development within the post.
An Personal Development Plan - PDP - is then developed for the individual - this is a joint process between the individual and his/her manager.
The individual is then supported to learn through different learning opportunities - this learning could take place in a variety of ways such as learning on the job, shadowing, mentoring, formal training courses etc.
The final stage is the evaluation of learning and how it has been applied to the individual’s work.

3. Learning & Development
The NHS KSF…….
Foundation Sub-sets
Dimensions
KSF Post Outlines
PDPs
Development Reviews
Levels
Gateways
E-KSF
Learning & Development
Partnership
Agenda for Change

4. The Vision Six of the highest ranking employee needs*:
Understanding what is expected in the job
Opportunities to ‘do what I do best’
Encouragement of development
Regular reviews of progress
Co-workers committed to quality
Opportunities to learn & grow
* Gallup 1997

5. Understand what is expected in the job
The KSF gives clear information about how each post fits into the wider NHS structure and about the knowledge and skills required from new recruits and experienced staff members in each role – with specific examples of how these should be applied.

6. Opportunities to ‘do what I do best’
The KSF offers the opportunity to demonstrate and discuss personal strengths and aspirations and to explore how these talents can be unlocked and developed within current or future roles

7. Encouragement of development:
The KSF creates universal recognition that all staff are entitled to development opportunities either within their current posts or to help them achieve career development - and that managers and organisations have a duty to support this principle

8. Regular reviews of progress
The KSF provides structured feedback using an objective framework for all staff to enable any difficulties to be identified and resolved before they become major problems. A safe environment for staff to highlight their own development needs

9. Co-workers committed to quality
The KSF means that everyone will be expected to fulfil the requirements of their post, including the core dimensions and that action will be taken to ensure that this happens

10. Opportunities to learn & grow
The KSF promotes a culture which allows people to develop flexibly as individuals, recognising that there are many alternative career pathways and timescales, and that skills and knowledge can be acquired in many ways and are often transferable

11. What will it mean for staff?
A KSF Outline for every post
A Development Review at least once a year
A Personal Development Plan
Support in fulfilling the PDP
Access to KSF Outlines at recruitment and in career planning
Focussed Development for Everyone

12. Purpose of the NHS KSF - Development, Equity
To provide an NHS-wide framework that can be used consistently across the service to support:
- personal development in post, - career development service development
Key Principles:
- NHS-wide, Partnership
- Development, Equity

13. Development of the NHS KSF
Developed by joint management and staff side group working in partnership
Used existing competences to inform development
Early versions tested with different staff groups to refine and further develop
NHS KSF agreed in October 2004

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

15. Estates & Facilities EF 1-3 Information & Knowledge
24 Specific Dimensions
NHS
KSF
Health & Well-being
HWB 1-10
Estates & Facilities EF 1-3
Information & Knowledge
IK 1-3
General
G 1-8

16. Development Review Process
Joint review of individual’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

17. What is a 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

18. How Do You Create KSF Post Outlines?
Need to use all of the core dimensions
Identify the specific dimensions likely to apply to the main aspects of the post
Identify the level at which the dimensions apply – will need to look at the detail
Finally put the post outline in context – by adding the specific areas/activities that apply to that post

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

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

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

22. e-KSF – the KSF on-line tool
A single, internet-accessible website
Supports all of the KSF development processes
Secure and unique log-ins, and users only see the information they need
Allows central updates to the framework
Linked to National Occupational Standards
Backed up by on-line help and dedicated support

23. e-KSF supports the key KSF processes
Select outline from template libraries
Individual can collect feedback on-line
Same format as paper-based approach
Create KSF post outline
Assign post to an individual
Review individual’s work (and learning)
Agree development plan
Capture learning activities
Create from scratch and submit to HR for approval
Repeat
Face to face meetings are still required!
Simple, expandable learning database included

24. Implementation
The NHS KSF must be fully implemented for all staff by October 2006, with all gateways fully operational
Outlines and Development Review should therefore be in place by October 2005
All Trusts should have staff and management KSF leads, and a KSF Implementation Plan
KSF Outlines are being developed and shared via the National Library
43% of AfC staff in (English) Trusts had KSF outlines for their posts by the end of August 2005

25. Implementation in Wales
35% of AFC staff in Wales had KSF outlines for their posts by November 2005
3 organisations in Wales have completed 80% of their Post Outlines in January 06
No Post Outlines exist in the national library from Wales – please submit
88% of the post outlines in Wales are on e-ksf.

26. The KSF is the tip of the iceberg!
Skills
Policies & Infrastructure
Behaviours and Culture
The KSF provides a structure for development…
…but users need skills to have PDP discussions and identify learning needs and plans….
…the organisation needs policies about how to implement and embed the KSF and e-KSF…
…and the organisational culture needs to embrace change and value learning and development

27. Resources:
Pay Modernisation Unit Wales:
Employers Organisation
Department of Health
Modernisation Agency
E-KSF
E-KSF support

28. The NHS KSF