Wes Streeting launches crackdown to stop ‘rip off’ agencies charging the NHS £3billion a year for temporary workers
A major crackdown will stop ‘rip off’ agencies charging the NHS £3billion a year for temporary workers.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said ‘desperate hospitals’ have been forced to pay ‘eye-watering sums’ of up to £2,000 for a single nursing shift.
He accused the firms of fuelling staff shortages by luring employees away from permanent NHS roles with the promise of more pay.
They are then loaned back to the health service at inflated rates, leaving taxpayers out of pocket.
Under new proposals, trusts would be banned from using agencies to hire temporary entry level workers in pay bands two and three, such as healthcare assistants and domestic support workers.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting accused firms of luring NHS employees away from permanent roles with the promise of more pay and fuelling staff shortages
Under new proposals, trusts would be banned from using agencies to hire temporary entry level workers in bands two and three (file photo)
And NHS staff would be prevented from resigning and immediately offering their services back through a recruitment agency.
The Department of Health and Social Care believes the move could save ‘significant sums’, improve quality of care and enhance patient safety.
It said reducing reliance on agency staff has been shown to decrease ‘clinical incidents’.
Mr Streeting will outline his plans at the NHS Providers annual conference in Liverpool tomorrow [WED], where he is expected to say: ‘For too long desperate hospitals have been forced to pay eye-watering sums of money on temporary staff, costing the taxpayer billions, and pulling experienced staff out of the NHS.
‘We’re not going to let the NHS get ripped off anymore.
‘Last month the Chancellor made a historic investment in our health service which must reform or die.
‘I am determined to make sure the money is well spent and delivers for patients.
‘These changes could help keep staff in the NHS and make significant savings to reinvest in the frontline.’
There are around 113,000 vacancies across the health service, which uses temporary staff to cover unfilled posts, sickness or additional clinics.
Demand and costs have increased further in recent years because of industrial action by the likes of the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing.
Julian Kelly, chief financial officer at NHS England, said: ‘The NHS is committed to ensuring every penny of taxpayer money is used wisely to the benefit of patients and to ensure fairness for our permanent staff.
‘While agency spend is at a record low, with trusts on track to save £1 billion over two years, we want to go further still.
‘That’s why the NHS, working alongside the government and providers, will launch a consultation with a view to stop using agencies to fill entry level posts, building on the approach we have successfully imposed for administrative and estates staff.’
There are around 113,000 vacancies across the health service, which uses temporary staff to cover unfilled posts and sickness (file photo)
The Department of Health and Social Care said the proposals will provide greater fairness in the workplace by ensuring staff carrying out the same roles are not paid significantly different sums.
It committed to taking further action in the future to cut reliance on short-term agency staffing and other measures to reform and improve efficiency in the NHS.
NHS England will launch a consultation on the proposals in the coming weeks, seeking views on the new proposals from staff, unions, and NHS provider organisations.
Mr Streeting is also expected to use his speech in Liverpool to say how he will ensure additional funding announced in the Budget results in shorter waiting times for patients.
