Guidance & Support

Centrally-imposed restrictions on the amount that NHS trusts can pay for temporary doctors and nurses risks understaffed wards and patient safety, new research from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) shows. 

Responding to a survey conducted in March, 63 per cent of healthcare recruitment agencies said they expect locum doctors and agency nurses on their books to focus on the private sector in response to the latest pay cap, which came into effect on 1 April. A third (31 per cent) said that candidates will leave the profession altogether. Just 3 per cent said they expect candidates to take up permanent role in the NHS.

Demand for temporary staff from NHS trusts has increased since the caps were imposed. In June 2015, a third of healthcare recruiters (33 per cent) said they received more than 100 requests for staff per week from each NHS trust they work with. The latest data shows that almost half of healthcare recruitment firms (47 per cent) are now receiving more than 100 requests to fill shifts every week from each NHS trust they supply.   

Nine in ten recruitment firms (87 per cent) said that since the first cap was enforced in November 2015 they have found it more difficult to fill temporary NHS vacancies.

Eight in ten (79 per cent) healthcare recruitment agencies said they work with NHS trusts which are routinely breaching the caps. This is supported by data released recently by the MSI Group showing that 96 per cent of trusts have exceeded the agency pay caps.

REC chief executive Kevin Green says:

“Everyone knows that efficiencies have to be made in the NHS, but rather than a considered plan to improve staffing we’ve seen a policy which is myopic and ill-conceived.

“At a time when demand for temporary staff to fill gaps is increasing, locum doctors and agency nurses who have provided a lifeline to the NHS are having their pay cut to such an extent they are choosing to work outside of the public sector or leave the profession altogether.

“All the evidence suggests the cap is exacerbating the skills shortage crisis rather than alleviating it, and NHS Improvement has so far failed to produce evidence to the contrary. We believe that shifts are going unfilled in hospitals across England as the Department of Health instructs hospitals to put finance before patient safety.

“How many doctors and nurses have left agency work in favour of permanent roles? Are there fewer staff on wards since November? What has the impact of the cap been on performance within the NHS? These are questions that NHS Improvement needs to answer.”

NHS spend on agency staff accounted for 2.9% of the NHS's overall annual expenditure in 2014/15.

In March 2016, the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts found that “the NHS will not solve the problem of reliance on agency staff until it solves its wider workforce planning issues.”

On average, how many requests for staff do you get from each trust you supply into on a weekly basis?

                                         Jun-15                         Jan-16                         Mar-16

Total respondents                   64                                92                                73                                   

0-50                                         42%                             48%                             32%

50-100                                     25%                             17%                             21%

100-200                                   11%                             16%                             23%

200 +                                       22%                             19%                             24%                                                                                                     

4. In March 2016 the REC polled member agencies that supply healthcare professionals during a live webinar and via an online survey:

Since the new cap on individual staff pay and agency fees was introduced in November 2015, finding agency healthcare professionals willing to fill temporary vacancies within NHS trusts been:

Total respondents: 77

a) Easier                                                                                                          1%

b) More difficult                                                                                               87%

c) About the same, no easier and no more difficult                                       12%

Are you working with at least one NHS trusts that is routinely breaching the current caps?

Total respondents: 67

Yes                                                                                                            79%

No                                                                                                             21%

What effect do you believe a 55% cap in April will have on the behaviour of your candidates? (Select all that apply)

Total respondents: 73

They will leave our books and become a permanent NHS employee    3%

They will become bank staff                                                                    11%

They will seek out work in the private sector via an agency                    63%

They will leave the profession all together                                                31%

Commenting, chief executive Richard Burnett said: “This money, and the fact that the pothole crisis was acknowledged in the Budget, is welcome.  But so many local roads are in such a dreadful condition that much more money will be needed, and soon. Britain is afflicted by a pothole plague that is causing needless damage and congestion which is hurting car drivers, hauliers and the economy as well as the safety of vulnerable road users, especially cyclists.” - See more at: https://www.rha.uk.net/news/press-releases/2016-04-april/road-haulage-association-reacts-to-pothole-fund-an#sthash.TRg5hmNM.dpuf

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) is helping shippers get to grips with new global regulations for verifying container weights with a free one-hour briefing session in London this month.

The briefing is open to all shippers, both FTA members and non- members, and will cover all aspects of the new rules that come into force on 1 July including the latest information from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the ports sector.

The session follows a members-only British Shippers’ Council meeting and will take place on 14 April. Topics to be covered include:

• Guidance from MCA on the shipper accreditation scheme • FTA consultancy service • Latest intelligence on ports’ offer to shippers • Q&A session

Amendments to the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Convention require packed shipping containers to have a verified gross mass (VGM) before they can be loaded on a ship for export. The amendments were adopted by the IMO (International Maritime Organization) to enhance maritime safety and reduce the dangers to container ships, their crews and all those involved throughout the supply chain.

Alex Veitch, FTA’s Head of Global Policy, said: “With the deadline for container weight verification requirements fast approaching, it is important for shippers to check whether they are affected. This FTA briefing will provide shippers with all the information they need to ensure compliance, and will show how FTA can support them.”
The briefing takes place on Thursday 14 April from 1330-1430, immediately after the British Shippers’ Council meeting, and is for shippers only. Spaces are limited - please contact Sue Darrington by email at sdarrington@fta.co.uk to reserve a place.

ATE (UK) Ltd has become a Van Excellence scheme recognised partner, joining over 40 other organisations that have been recognised as supplying valuable products and services to van operators.

Mark Cartwright, FTA Head of Vans, said: “We are delighted to announce that ATE has joined Van Excellence as a recognised partner. The FTA-led scheme is extending its reach and provides best practice recommendations which lead to safety improvements and cost reduction. ATE’s products certainly support the safe and compliant operation of van fleets.”

Since its launch in 2010, Van Excellence has established itself as the industry standard for light fleet operators across all sectors. The scheme promotes high standards and now has more than 100 accredited commercial vehicle operators, covering 125,000 vehicles, and has established itself as the voice and benchmark of professional LCV fleet managers.

The Van Excellence Code was agreed by operators acting as a Governance Group and requires systems to be in place to check vehicle roadworthiness, driver entitlement, load security and other safety aspects. The standard exceeds the minimum requirements of the current law, selecting and adapting the requirements of O-licensing normally applied to trucks for the van sector.

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) is looking for the best van driver in the country through its Van Excellence Driver of the Year 2016 contest, sponsored by LeasePlan UK.

The popular event, which takes place on 14 July, is open to FTA members and Van Excellence accredited operators and tests driving skills (fuel economy and driver behaviour), manoeuvring ability, the drivers’ risk awareness, legislative knowledge and the ability of the contestants to identify pre-use vehicle defects.

FTA Head of Vans Mark Cartwright said: “The FTA Van Driver of the Year event really is testimony to the skills and expertise of the competing drivers. They're all employed by Van Excellence accredited operators who are working at the very highest standards, and those who take part really are the best of the best - from the best operators.”

Mark Lovett, Head of Commercial Vehicles at contest sponsor LeasePlan UK, added: “The 2016 FTA's Van Excellence Driver of the Year winner will be assessed on a number of key competencies both on and off the road and will prove that he or she is upholding the values of safe and efficient van driving and ultimately contributing to greater road safety. It is for this reason that LeasePlan UK is proud to sponsor such a worthy event”.

Following the huge success of the previous two Van Excellence Driver of the Year events, FTA has introduced three separate contests for 2016 celebrating the skills and abilities of professional drivers across the freight and logistics sector.

The three contests are FTA Truck Driver of the Year (44-tonne) sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Trucks); FTA Truck Driver of the Year (18-tonne) sponsored by Bridgestone Tyres) and the Van Excellence Driver of the Year. All three will be held at Mercedes-Benz, Wentworth Park, Barnsley, between 12 and 14 July 2016.

Mark Lovett said: “LeasePlan UK is once again delighted to work with the FTA Van Excellence team in raising the profile of best practice van operations amongst fleet operators through the Van Driver of the Year event. With over 3.2 million vans in the UK - representing 1 in 10 vehicles on our roads - sponsoring the competition highlights our commitment to raising van driver standards in a bid to make our roads safer.

“Our van fleet customers tell us that duty of care is of paramount importance to them and so it's great to be able to recognise and reward the businesses that take their van fleet operations seriously. In addition, the awards dispel the myth of 'white van man' being discourteous, dangerous and unprofessional. On the contrary, it's evident that there are an increasingly large number of organisations in the UK that follow FTA's Van Excellence guidelines and operate a safe, efficient and legally compliant van fleet.”

Contestants taking part in each of the events will be asked to complete various tasks in the competition which is designed to test their abilities across a wide range of skills.

For more information or to nominate a driver to enter the 2016 FTA Driver of the Year competition please go to: http://www.fta.co.uk/events/driver-of-the-year-2016.html

Full terms and conditions apply for each category. The individual winner of each event will be announced on the day of the contest, and the overall winners of the three competitions will be revealed in October.

We are delighted to announce that we are now members of The Road Haulage Association (RHA). Our membership provides us with invaluable and essential information that is updated on a daily basis. Our membership also ensures that we are completely up to date with all haulage industry regulations and compliance guidance, this will give our clients even more peace of mind when utilising our services.