Dear all,

 

Thank you for your responses.  A general pattern has emerged that is broadly in agreement with my original theory.  Generally people seem to have cut back from the larger numbers of dimensions in some of the early KSF drafts I have been looking at.  One person had been told there should be a lot of dimensions used (10-12 for a service manager) but was expecting clarification from AFC staff.  There were also questions of how to set the right level to avoid the 2^nd gateway being insurmountable.

 

Comments included below.

 

Thanks to all.

 

Alan

 

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I was given the same advice at the KSF outline training I attended at my trust, the reasoning was that the appraisals would be too time consuming & that they would be less achievable.

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We haven't done ours yet, but we were recommended to keep it simple and not too many obligations - as you say, it just raises the barriers to progression, and there are no brownie points for having more content or higher levels

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No, it sounds like you have it right to me.  In our KSF training it was stressed that adding dimensions would only make it more difficult for people for get through the barriers and move up the payscale.  We were also advised that two additional dimensions were acceptable and four was an absolute maximum.  Unlike A4C, adding lots of requirements and placing people at higher levels would hurt rather than help.

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The advice I have been given for preparing KSF outlines is that as much as possible should be included in the 6 core dimensions and that the Specific dimensions should be used sparingly.

 

 

No I think you have it right in principle.  Locally we were advised to have a maximum of seven other dimensions in addition to the core but of course you could have less.

 

Each year we then have to focus on 3/4 items from  the "evidence of application"  which underpin  our objectives at each appraisal.

 

The danger is to pitch the Levels of the dimensions too high and make then unattainable. This would then prevent you going through the gateways

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No, you haven’t lost the plot. The more dimensions and the higher the level, the more will be expected of the post holder at the first gateway, it would then be quite difficult to reach the second gateway (impossible, in fact if you already enter at level 4 in may of the dimensions)

 

We need to change our way of thinking – which can be quite difficult when many of us have just done our JAQs.

 

 

Alan Fricker

Knowledge & Library Service Manager

Newham University Hospital NHS Trust

Glen Road

Plaistow, E13 8SL

Tel: 020 7363 8016

web:  www.newlib.demon.co.uk