Further Thoughts on the Reward of Health Care Assistants

Discusses the need to view HCAs in a multiskilled generic context,irrespective of function (for reward purposes). Suggests three groups (direct care, indirect care and support). Mentions assimilation,then some NHS examples. Refers to a previous article in Health Manpower Management, Vol. 18 No. 1 and updates a Table therein. Mentions surveying the local labour market. Suggests a possible logical route, then an alternative scenario. Concludes that there is no one route owing to local variations, but there is a common need to separate NVQ training, skill‐mix and reward issues first – then link all together into one overall strategy comprising all component parts.