Wes Streeting launches crackdown to stop 'rip off' agencies charging NHS hospitals 'eye-watering sums' for temporary workers - as costs total £3billion a year By SHAUN WOOLLER FOR THE DAILY MAIL Published: 00:32, 12 November 2024 | Updated: 01:00, 12 November 2024 e-mail View comments 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 car.
