The government and NHS England are set to reveal bold plans to
reduce the NHS' reliance on agency staff, as the cost to the
health service of hiring temporary workers sits at a staggering
£3 billion a year.
Under joint plans to be put forward for consultation, NHS trusts
could be banned from using agencies to hire temporary entry level
workers in band 2 and 3, such as healthcare assistants and
domestic support workers.
The consultation will also include a proposal to stop NHS staff
resigning and then immediately offering their services back to
the health service through a recruitment agency.
The proposed measures could save the NHS significant sums,
improve quality of care and enhance patient safety, as reducing
reliance on agency staff has been shown to decrease clinical
incidents.
Health and Social Care Secretary said:
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.
Recruitment agencies have charged NHS trusts up to £2,000 for a
single nursing shift, thanks to the 113,000 staffing vacancies
across the service.
Costs of this kind were driven up further thanks to periods of
strike action. The move, announced this week, will form part
of government efforts to reform and improve efficiency in the NHS
– with more action planned in the future to cut reliance on
short-term agency staffing.
The proposals will also provide greater fairness in the workplace
by ensuring staff carrying out the same roles are not paid
significantly different sums.
Kelly, NHS Chief Financial Officer,
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.
The Health and Social Care Secretary will unveil a package of
tough reforms this week to cut wasteful spending in the NHS and
ensure the health service delivers greater value for money. This
follows the Chancellor's investment in last month's Budget to
mend crumbling wards and bring healthcare tech into the 21st
century.
Kicking off the biggest ever conversation on the future of the
NHS last month, Mr Streeting announced how reforms in the 10-Year
Health Plan will shift healthcare from hospital to community,
analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention.
Addressing the nation's health leaders at the NHS Providers
Conference in Liverpool on Wednesday, he is expected to
announce a series of rigorous measures to make sure the
investment announced in the Budget delivers shorter waiting times
for patients.
A consultation will be launched by NHS England in the coming
weeks, seeking views on the new proposals from staff, unions, and
NHS provider organisations.
