2. Aims of the session
• To raise awareness of the NHS Working Longer
Review
• To seek views about the involvement of (insert
organisation) in related national research and
a call for evidence
• To discuss how best to ensure that our views
inform the contents of the review group
report
3. Working Longer Review Group
• To review the impact on frontline NHS staff of
working longer as a result of changes to the
NHS Pension Scheme made in March 2012.
• A partnership review consisting of NHS
employers, national trade unions and the
Department of Health.
• Expected that recommendations to Health
Ministers will be made by the end of 2013.
4. Related NHS Pension Scheme Changes
• Effective from 2015
• NHS Normal Pension Age (NPA) becomes the
State Pension Age (SPA)
• Exemption for NHS staff in the pension scheme
and within 10yrs of existing NPA as at April 2012
• From 2015 the NHS NPA increases from 55/60yrs
to 65 yrs
• Between 2018 and 2020 the NPA will reach 66yrs
and from 2028 it will be 67yrs
5. Current Position
• NHS Normal Pension Age (NPA) for 1995 scheme
members is 60 yrs and is 65 yrs for 2008 scheme
members
• Special classes NPA (doctors, nurses and physio’s
in the scheme prior to March 6th 1995) is 55 yrs
• Average NHS retirement age is 59 yrs for nurses
and 62 yrs overall
• (Insert number of staff who may be affected) may
be directly affected from 2022 onward
6. Working Longer Review Group aims
• To identify the impact on the health of
frontline NHS staff of working longer as a
result of changes to the NHS Pension Scheme
• To identify good employment practices that
will enable NHS staff to safely work longer
• To produce a report with recommendations by
the end of 2013
7. Initial Review Group activities
• Commissioned and received an audit of research
relating to the impacts on NHS employees of
working longer – University of Bath - findings
• Supported an application to the Medical Research
Council for proposed research into the
opportunities, challenges and prospects of
successfully managing employment changes in
the NHS arising from the abolition of the Default
Retirement Age and the linking of the NHS NPA to
the SPA – decision expected July 2013
8. Research Audit Findings
• Decision making about retirement is complex and often
not related to the best financial option – cultural/social
• Employers are lacking when it comes to engaging
individuals about their pension choices
• There are high levels of mistrust in the benefits of
being a pension scheme member – less engagement?
• Overall older workers perform as effectively as their
younger counterparts though skills and experience
could be harnessed and used differently e.g. mentoring
9. Research Audit Findings (cont)
• There are cultural barriers to older workers
requesting to work more flexibly towards
retirement – capability?
• Maintaining motivation to work keeps people
working longer rather than physical/mental
health of the individual – how well are the needs
of the individual and the organisation aligned?
• The NHS loses talented older workers because it
does not facilitate different ways of working
• Work impacts positively upon mental health
10. Research Audit Findings (cont)
• Musculo-skeletal conditions are the major
reason for ill health retirements
• No clear evidence that shift working
disadvantages older workers
• Making changes to improve the prospects of
older workers working longer can benefit
younger workers also
11. Call For Evidence
24 June – 5 September 2013
• Does (insert organisation) have strategies, working
practices or possible solutions that support the
extension of working lives and individuals choices
about retirement?
• What incentives would (insert organisation) find useful
and/or require to develop and adopt positive
approaches to extending working lives?
• Are there examples in (insert organisation) of where it
has not been possible to extend the working lives of
individuals/staff groups? If so, what are the reasons for
this and what can we do to address them?
12. MRC Research Proposal
October 2013
• Need to evaluate the likely impacts of forthcoming
pension changes on retirement planning and given the
incidence of high stress and physical jobs in the NHS,
the relationship between age and performance.
• Factors affecting retirement decisions include
individual (health, attitudes/beliefs, financial position,
family/social network) and workplace factors (job
quality/design, job demands, employer policies and
practices.
• How these individual and workplace factors will
influence extended working life in the NHS is unclear.
13. Some Potential Risks
• Lack of engagement on the part of providers
• Associated timescales fall outside normal
business planning/workforce training
commissioning timescales (3 & 5 yrs) and we do
not take timely steps to prepare
• That by the early 2020’s, NHS workforce provider
demands exceed workforce supply and impact
adversely upon the quality of services provided
• That we are unable to reliably predict how NHS
staff will respond to being expected to work
longer
14. Summary
• Raising the NPA to the SPA is likely to have major
individual and organisational development
implications within (insert organisation)
• There is time to understand what needs to be
done and to prepare for the changes – review
timing and engagement levels?
• The related evidence base is not yet clear
• There is an opportunity to influence the work of
the review
15. Questions for (insert organisation)
• How can we best ensure that our response to the
call for evidence is robust and addresses the
organisations staff and service issues? Who
should be consulted in (insert organisation)?
What are our views about the questions posed in
the call for evidence?
• Should (insert organisation) seek to be involved in
the MRC funded research as a case study Trust? If
so what occupational groups should we put
forward and why?
