Job Planning FAQs

The working week of a full-time consultant normally comprises of 10 sessions of three to four hours each, which will be programmed in blocks of time to average a 37.5 hour week. A session is therefore defined as 3.75 hours. This applies regardless of employment setting.

Anything over 10 sessions is entirely voluntary and can be declined.

For a full-time consultant there will typically be 7.5 sessions for public health duties (PHDs) and 2.5 sessions for supporting professional activities (SPAs). Variations will need to be agreed by the employer and the consultant at the job planning review.

Public health duties might include the following non-exhaustive list:

1. Health intelligence
2. Health care quality/improvement
3. Health Improvement/promotion/education
4. Safeguarding duties
5. Delivering training/education
6. Health protection/infection control/environmental control
7. Infection control activities
8. Laboratory duties
9. Out of hours work
10. Outbreak control management.
11. Public health related advocacy, influence, and policy development
12. MDT meetings / discussions.
13. Ward rounds
14. Management
15. Travel time
16. Academic work

Supporting professional activities sessions covers several activities including:

1. Training
2. Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
3. Teaching
4. Audit
5. Job planning
6. Appraisal and revalidation
7. Research
8. Local governance activities
9. FPH work such as examining or committee work

Yes. Job plans are part of your contract of employment. They are an annual agreement that sets out your duties, responsibilities and objectives for the coming year.

Yes. A job plan is part of your contract of employment.

You and your employer should reach an agreement about how you will use your time and resources to deliver individual and service objectives.

Job plans clearly sets out your commitments including hours, location, responsibilities, and outcomes.

The job plan is an agreement (not imposed) between two parties – the employer (local authority, health board, NHS trust, public health agency, academic institution etc) and the employee (consultant).

Job plans should be reviewed annually as a minimum, but either party can request a review at any point.

Yes. Job plans should clarify the support required from the employer. Discussion of your duties and objectives (see below) provides you with an opportunity to raise the issue of supporting resources. You can only achieve your objectives if your employer provides the necessary support and resources. It's essential such resources are recognised and reflected in your job plan.

Job plans should usually include:

1. Summary of your activity (known as “sessions”) - including public health duties (PHDs) and supporting professional activities (SPAs)
2. On call arrangements
3. Objectives (known as “outcomes”)
4. List of supporting resources (e.g. admin support / training / database access specialist nurses / office space)
5. Description of additional responsibilities (i.e. medical/ clinical director)
6. External duties (e.g. trade union activities, work for royal college)
7. Any agreements for additional sessions over and above your standard contract
8. Details of regular private work
9. Agreed arrangement for carrying out regular fee-paying services
10. Accountability arrangements
11. Any flexible working arrangements

Yes, if applicable. Emergency duties (including emergency work carried out during or arising from on call) are included as public health duties (PHDs). Subject to the intensity of a work pattern and/or local arrangements, on-call work might also attract an intensity supplement.

Yes. You should ensure you have evidence to verify your SPAs, additional responsibilities, and external duties.

Their location(s) should be discussed and agreed at job planning reviews. However, in practice flexible work practices are the norm and colleagues are permitted to undertake SPA activity from home or any location.

Yes. Objectives (outcomes) must be agreed by you and your employer. Where an agreement cannot be reached, this may be subject to appeal via your employer policies.

It is essential that you are confident that any objectives you agree are achievable and the outcome is within your individual control. Your objectives should be SMART. You should provide evidence where necessary that the objective has been delivered. If you are concerned that your objectives might not be achieved or if circumstances have changed, you should request an interim job plan review as soon as possible. This is because a failure to achieve your agreed outcomes could lead to commitment awards being withheld. However, you cannot be penalised for failing to meet outcomes beyond your control. The withholding of commitment awards is rare in practice.

You don’t need to wait for your annual job plan review if your circumstances have changed, affecting your work requirements or workload. Either you or your employer can request an interim job plan review at any time. The BMA recommends that you request an interim job plan review as soon as possible, especially if you are regularly working more hours than your job plan states.

1. Consider informally speaking with your colleagues before your job plan meeting to get an understanding of what they are doing and are receiving for the same/similar work.
2. Ask your manager for any information they intend to discuss in advance. An exchange of documentation could be arranged before the job plan interview to allow all parties to prepare. Before the meeting, review everything you do and allocate the work into PHDs, SPAs, on-call, additional responsibilities, agreed external duties, additional sessions, managerial responsibilities etc. Consider constructing a draft timetable of what you believe would work.
3. Plan 7.5 sessions of public health duties (PHDs).

• The first allocation should be any on-call emergency work as, subject to your obligations, it will create uncontracted time during the normal working week
• Then allocate the remaining PHD work
• If you do more than 7.5 PHD sessions per week, discuss whether you wish to continue this, or not. If you reach an agreement for 8 or more PHD sessions per week, ensure this is separately set out so it is clear what is “extra” if you choose to give it up in the future

4. Discuss any additional responsibilities and time. This should either be substituted for other PHD work or remunerated separately by agreement by way of an additional session.
5. Consider your outcomes and what is achievable. Suggest your own outcomes and keep it SMART.
6. Discuss what resources you will need to do your job and achieve your outcomes.
7. Workload problems and gaps are identified.
8. Resources you need/will need are adequate.
9. Consideration is given for arising new developments.
10. Identifying changes in the job which may increase the ability to deliver
11. Consider areas for career development.
12. Set out clear SMART objectives.

You should not agree to a change in your job plan that you do not think is clinically justified or contractually compliant. If you are unhappy with your job plan, appeal.

You should confirm in writing to your line manager that you do not agree to the proposed job plan and would like to move to the first stage of the appeal process (which is an initial discussion with the Director of Public Health or similar)

The principles for job plans should be the same irrespective of what contract you are on. Most employers have agreed local solutions e.g. on out of hours work to harmonise working arrangements even where the contracts differ in their rules.

A good first stop would be your trade union (BMA, Unison etc).