Can you only obtain sign off once the contract and PA's match?

The hours/PAs do not have to match for the job plan to be signed off.

In the Timetable of activities you will see a summary of the job plan PAs if you are a Consultant or Specialist/Associate Specialist doctor or hours if you work under an Agenda for Change (AfC) contract.  When you complete the contract section you will define your activities under 3 main categories:

1. DCC – Direct Clinical Care
2. SPA – Supporting Professional Activities
3. Other – this would include other paid Categories of activities such as ANR (Another NHS Responsibility)

The average weekly number of hours or PAs can be based on some complex schedules and calculations so this can frequently show that the contracted and Job Plan PAs do not match. Where it does match you will see a green tick and where it doesn’t match you will see an orange exclamation mark.

NOTE: The Contracted PAs and the Job Plan PAs do not have to match to proceed with the job plan and are for information only