Jargon buster

Receiver bodies

A successor or receiver organisation is one that has been established under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and is taking on functions and responsibilities currently delivered by existing organisations, eg primary care trusts (PCTs) and strategic health authorities (SHAs). The receiver organisations will employ affected staff after 31 March 2013.

In scope/out of scope

The term "out of scope" organisation refers to the organisations which are out of scope in relation to the Filling of Posts document, i.e. clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and local authorities. These organisations are covered by HR principles agreed at the beginning of the transition process and have agreed separate HR guidance to support the transition. While these organisations are out of scope, staff employed by "in scope" organisations (including PCTs and SHAs) are covered by the process and the Filling of Posts document (this is available on the Filling of posts page).  All organisations need to work in partnership with each other, trade unions, and staff to implement the transition process.

Lift and shift

Where an organisation or a function will transfer in its entirety to a new organisation with effect from 1 April 2013. Staff will need to be matched to functions, but there will be no pre-transfer selection process.

Job matching

The process of determining which current jobs match to receiver posts. If there is a job match, staff will either slot in to post (where there are the same number of current job holders to new posts) or go through a competitive slot-in process (where there are more job holders in post than there are new posts).

Function transfer

As part of the pre-transfer selection process, it is necessary to determine whether a “function” will transfer to a receiver organisation.  Where there is a function match, job matching will need to be undertaken.  Where there is no function transfer, jobs will be placed within a redeployment pot for staff affected by the transition to apply for.

Suitable alternative employment

This would relate to a new post that an employment tribunal would deem as an appropriate alternative to a current post. This will comply with legal tests consistent with the definition of suitable alternative employment (SAE) within the Employment Relations Act 1996. Though individual circumstances can affect whether a new job is SAE or not, the main factors depend on how similar the new job is to the existing one, the terms on which it is being offered, the skills and abilities required to undertake the job and finally the pay, status, hours and location. 

Pooling

This is the process of determining which posts individuals could be considered for. Within the job matching and redeployment process, pooling will take into account function, region, location and pay banding.

Ring fencing

The job matching process will determine which posts an individual could be considered for. In the first stages of the job matching process, only those who have been matched will be able to apply for those jobs, this is called ring fencing where in effect there is restricted competition for a job.

Slotting in

If there is a post in the new structure and only one person eligible to apply for it, then that person will “slot in” or move into the new post without a competitive process.