A major crackdown will stop “rip-off” agencies from charging the NHS £3bn a year for temporary workers.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said “desperate hospitals” have been forced to pay “exorbitant sums” of up to £2,000 for a single nursing shift.
He accused companies of fueling staff shortages by luring employees away from permanent NHS jobs with the promise of higher wages.
They are then provided back to the health service at inflated rates, leaving taxpayers out of money.
Under the new proposals, trusts would be banned from using agencies to recruit entry-level temporary workers in pay bands two and three, such as healthcare assistants and domestic support workers.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting accused companies of luring NHS workers away from their permanent jobs with the promise of higher pay and fueling staff shortages.
Under the new proposals, trusts would be banned from using agencies to recruit entry-level temporary workers in bands two and three (file photo)
And NHS staff would be prevented from resigning and immediately offering their services through a recruitment agency.
The Department of Health and Social Care believes the move could save “significant sums”, improve the quality of care and improve patient safety.
He said reducing reliance on agency staff has been shown to decrease “clinical incidents.”
Streeting will outline his plans tomorrow (Wednesday) at the annual NHS providers conference in Liverpool, where he is expected to say: “For too long, desperate hospitals have been forced to pay exorbitant sums of money for temporary staff, costing them to the taxpayer billions and remove experienced staff from the NHS.
‘We are not going to allow the NHS to be defrauded any more.
‘Last month the Chancellor made a historic investment in our health service which must be reformed or die.
‘I am determined to make sure money is spent well and delivers for patients.
“These changes could help keep staff in the NHS and generate significant savings to reinvest in the frontline.”
There are around 113,000 vacancies across the health service, which uses temporary staff to cover vacancies, illnesses or extra clinics.
Demand and costs have risen further in recent years due to strikes by companies such as the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing.
Julian Kelly, chief financial officer of NHS England, said: “The NHS is committed to ensuring every penny of taxpayers’ money is used wisely for the benefit of patients and to ensure fairness for our permanent staff.”
‘While agency spending is at a record low and trusts are on track to save £1bn in two years, we want to go even further.
“That’s why the NHS, working with the government and providers, will launch a consultation with a view to moving away from using agencies to fill entry-level roles, building on the approach we have successfully imposed for farm and administrative staff. “.
There are around 113,000 vacancies across the health service, which uses temporary staff to fill vacancies and illnesses (file photo)
The Department of Health and Social Care said the proposals will deliver greater fairness in the workplace by ensuring staff carrying out the same roles do not receive significantly different sums.
He pledged to take further action in the future to reduce reliance on agency staff in the short term and other measures to reform and improve the efficiency of the NHS.
NHS England will launch a consultation on the proposals in the coming weeks, seeking views on the new proposals from NHS staff, unions and provider organisations.
Streeting is also expected to use his speech in Liverpool to say how he will ensure the additional funding announced in the budget reduces waiting times for patients.