WRC recommends review of psychiatric nurse’s duties for allowance

The WRC recommended an independent review of a psychiatric nurse’s duties to determine whether he should receive a special qualification allowance. The recommendation was dated 15 December 2022. If the review finds he performed qualifying specialist duties, back pay should run from when those duties began after he gained his qualification in 2011, or from 1 October 2020 if that date cannot reasonably be established. The healthcare provider funded the nurse’s postgraduate diploma but said his duties did not qualify for the allowance. He and his union argued that he used his expertise in behaviour support and diabetes care. The adjudicator found he had the required qualification and that the provider’s discretion over specialist duties had to be applied fairly and consistently. The recommendation calls for a suitable independent person with healthcare regrading experience to compare his role with colleagues who receive the allowance.