Office of Health economics briefing on agency staff in the NHS

NHS Agency Staffing and the Impact of Recent Interventions, by Chris Mullin. OHE Seminar Briefing 22, January 2018


This seminar focuses on the NHS staffing markets and the use of temporary staff, specifically in the NHS provider sector, i.e. foundation trusts1 and NHS trust. (which include hospitals). To provide background and context, the discussion begins with an overview of the NHS labour market and the role of staffing agencies in providing temporary staff. The core of the seminar is an examination of previous strong growth in expenditure on such staffing, particularly during the early part of this decade; the effects to date of government intervention to address that spending; and possible lessons for other sectors from the limited evidence now available.


PDF of the complete briefing is available at https://www.ohe.org/system/files/private/publications/Mullins%20Seminar%20Briefing.pdf

New podcast on reducing agency spend

New case study from NHS Employers:

North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust saved £5 million by reducing its agency spend.  Learn how a team of five people:

• reduced agency spend by £5 million 
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• avoid time-sheet fraud
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How mobile technology can reduce agency spend

Read this NHS Employers' case study looking at how Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation has used mobile technology and collaboration to increase the take up of its internal bank.

Find out about the trust's challenge, its approach to creating the app and how clinicians can now book gaps in medical rotas at the touch of a button.

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In this reducing agency spend case study, NHS Employers have worked with Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust to capture how they've successfully centralised the booking of shifts and incentivised the their bank.

Find out more about how the temporary staffing team led a project to develop close working relationships with departments to centrally coordinate shifts and negotiate agency rates which has led to significant savings and reduced spend.

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These figures represent an improvement of £1.7 billion, driven by savings of over £3.1 billion with over £700 million saved on locum and agency use in the year.

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Takes place 24th February 09.30-15.00 at Northampton General Hospital

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This guide from NHS Improvement provides a list against which medical directors can check they're taking the necessary action to reduce their reliance on medical locums.