Agenda for Change: NHS terms and conditions of service handbook,January 2005 quite clearly states that staff will not lose out under agenda for change see para's 46.22 to 46.27 if their new pay band is less that their previous pay, they will receive protected pay. 46.25 The period of protection will end when the total level of payments under the new system exceeds the level of protected pay, or when the protected person changes job voluntarily, or at the latest on 30 September 2009 for staff in early implementer sites and 31 March 2011 for staff in national roll-out this is either a bad case of chinese wispers or a big cock up