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03.04.17

NHSI pauses changes to stop full-time staff also taking agency work

Rules to prevent staff working full-time for the NHS also taking additional shifts from agencies will be paused by NHS Improvement (NHSI) following pressure from health organisations.

The news was confirmed in a letter from NHSI chief executive Jim Mackey to NHS providers that clarified that trusts should not ensure staff engaged through an agency are not employed substantively elsewhere in the NHS.

He went on to write: “We will review the timeline and system preparedness for any further changes to this policy and will engage with the system and staff as appropriate. Note that we are still proceeding in full with the other agency policies recently announced.”

In a statement, Mackey also said that NHSI were grateful for the efforts made by the nursing workforce who made up the “lion’s share” of the £700m savings that had been made this year from cutting back agency costs.

“We have listened and responded to the feedback from nurses about the latest agency rules on substantive staff,” he said. “We’re committed to getting it right for nurses and doctors alike and making sure the system and the way staff can work is fair and equal, which is why we’re taking more time to work with the sector.

“We will be supporting trusts with the new tax rules which come into force, and will continue with our focus on getting medical locums to match the success nurses have achieved in bringing costs down.”

The chief executive of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) chief executive Kevin Green said: “We are delighted NHSI has seen sense and stepped back from this hastily proposed ban which risked throwing the NHS into chaos.

“It’s the right thing to pause and think again having listened to the feedback from us, our members and other stakeholders like the RCN, and to the voices of all the nurses and doctors who work so hard in the NHS, no matter what their employment status.

“We are committed to working with NHSI to help develop flexible staffing models for the NHS that ensure safety and sustainability for patients and workforce alike.”

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) had previously sought legal advice about the proposed changes to agency staff as its members had been advised that they were not obliged to join an NHS bank.

The union had in the past called the rule unfair, punitive and damaging to high-quality patient care, and commented that the decision to withdraw the decision was the correct one.

“This was an ill-conceived plan by NHSI and the U-turn will be welcomed by nursing staff across the country,” said RCN chief executive & general secretary, Janet Davies.

Concerns had been raised by the RCN that a change to this rule would mean staff who were already seeing their earnings dropped needed the extra work to stay afloat.

Last month, the RCN reported that a quarter of a million pounds worth of hardship grants had been paid to struggling nurses last year who were suffering from a 14% real terms pay cut since 2010.

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