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Design and control the job
Job-plan review, disagreement, mediation and appeal
Prepare for annual review, document unresolved issues and use the correct contractual route without personalising the dispute.
A job-plan disagreement is best handled as a defined professional and contractual problem. Identify the disputed activity, time, classification, objective or resource; show the evidence; propose alternatives; and follow the review, mediation and appeal process in the applicable terms. Deadlines and panel arrangements vary, so check the live contract immediately.
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
- Conduct an evidence-led annual review.
- Distinguish informal problem-solving, mediation and appeal.
- Prepare a concise formal case.
Annual review and interim review
Job plans should be reviewed regularly and when duties, service configuration, health, working pattern or responsibilities materially change. The review should examine activity, objectives, resources, workload evidence and prospective changes—not simply roll the previous document forward.
Request an interim review when waiting for the annual cycle would leave a material mismatch. State the change, effect and proposed review agenda. Keep appraisal separate: appraisal supports professional development and revalidation; it is not the contractual forum for settling job-plan allocation.
- Review when work changes materially.
- Use job planning rather than appraisal for allocation disputes.
- Bring evidence and options.
Define the disputed point
Break broad disagreement into answerable questions: Is the activity required? How often? How long? Which category? Is it in premium time? What administration and travel accompany it? Which objective and resource depend on it? This prevents several issues being collapsed into a single argument about attitude.
Create a table with employer proposal, doctor proposal, evidence, consequence and possible compromise. Confirm matters already agreed so the formal process focuses only on what remains.
- Use one row per issue.
- State evidence and consequence.
- Preserve agreements.
Informal resolution
Many disagreements can be resolved by checking data, definitions and service assumptions before escalation. Meet with the clinical manager, share the issue schedule and ask what outcome or constraint drives the employer proposal. Consider a time-limited trial with defined data and review.
Informal resolution should not be endless. Record the meeting and move to the contractual route when the dispute remains or deadlines approach. Do not allow a request for further discussion to extinguish a formal right.
- Understand the underlying constraint.
- Use time-limited trials carefully.
- Protect contractual deadlines.
Mediation
Contractual mediation is intended to help the parties reach agreement, often with involvement from a senior medical manager or other defined person. It is not counselling and may not determine legal rights. Prepare a concise bundle and know the outcome sought.
Ask who will mediate, whether they are independent of the original decision, what documents will be considered and how the outcome is recorded. Take representation where permitted and helpful.
- Check the contractual process.
- Use a concise bundle.
- Clarify authority and outcome.
Formal appeal
An appeal should identify the contractual provision, decision challenged, facts, evidence and remedy sought. Follow the form, recipient and deadline in the applicable terms. A large undifferentiated evidence dump makes the case harder to assess.
Keep legal, equality or whistleblowing issues distinct where they arise and obtain individual advice; a job-plan appeal may not determine every employment question. If health or disability affects the dispute, consider a reasonable-adjustment request alongside—not hidden inside—the job-plan case.
- Follow form and deadline exactly.
- Ask for a defined remedy.
- Separate parallel legal or equality routes.
After the outcome
Implement the agreed or determined plan and confirm start date, payment, backdating where applicable, objectives and review. Monitor whether it works. An appeal result does not remove the need for local operational implementation.
If the issue remains, obtain advice on contractual enforcement, grievance or other routes. Do not repeatedly relitigate the same point without identifying new evidence or a material change. Continue to raise immediate patient-safety concerns through the appropriate route.
- Confirm implementation in writing.
- Check payroll and rota changes.
- Review the real-world effect.
Could an independent reader identify your exact disputed point and requested remedy from one page?
Keep in mind
Three takeaways
- 1Review job plans when work changes, not only annually.
- 2Protect deadlines while trying informal resolution.
- 3Formal cases need a contractual basis, focused evidence and a precise remedy.
Situational judgement exercise
Check your understanding
Six questions on Job-plan review, disagreement, mediation and appeal test process and practical judgement. This is educational: it does not assess your health, evidence sufficiency or decide a legal issue.
Question 1 of 6
Choose one answer to continue.
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Check the source
Page last reviewed 8 September 2026. Independent education only; not individual contractual, legal, tax, financial or pensions advice.Official and professional guidance
Use the document for the relevant nation, grade, contract version, scheme and tax year.