agency staff used by nhs

[rememdium]

I read today that due to extra staff required at A&E because of more than usual people using it some nhs hospitals are paying agencies £3000 for doctors for 12 hours work also they are having to pay agencies £1000 a shift for agency nurses .I know the doctors and nurse are not getting this exorbitant amount of money my question is what agencies do they use and who owns the agencies as not one agency is ever mentioned by the nhs trusts are any of our MPs involved in these agencies it makes me wonder and of cause it is the peoples fault for getting ill in the first place

[Hidden]

I agree that it is a scandal. I heard we need 20,000 more nurses and don't know how many doctors but due to cutbacks we can't afford them. This is counterproductive as using agencies costs a lot more. It is the fault of short sighted politicians and their crazy policies! x

[rememdium in reply to Hidden]

but who are the agencies and who owns the agencies

[newlands]

Lots of nhs staff take early retirement then sign on to an agency ,this should be stopped too I know this happens as I know people that do it

[rememdium in reply to newlands]

yes i know this happens with teaching staff too and less responsibility

[butter-fly]

Quite often these agencies are run by ex nurses and I do know one personally. She makes a mint! She started off from her kitchen table with herself and part time girl as staff (who also did the cleaning). She now has dozens of nurses and doctors on her books. Think it's a licence to print money. The taxpayers money that is!

[O2Trees in reply to butter-fly]

Damn right Sara.

[butter-fly in reply to butter-fly]

The checks are quite stringent and it has to be said many of the staff are very skilled at their jobs and continue to be so as agency staff. Some are agency staff join so that they can work hours suitable for their families... i.e. looking after ailing family members, children at school and so on. Other lazy, unmotivated staff find agency work as a niche where they can do the least work while making the most money. Patients do NOT complain enough often because they are too sick and vulnerable. (this especially applies to the elderly) Been there myself!

[rememdium in reply to butter-fly]

I too have been there some of the are not fit to clean up mess off floor made by elderly patient left waiting to go to toilet only two weeks ago I would apply this to three staff and in fact one said to me she could not wait to retire to become agency nurse

[rememdium in reply to rememdium]

what happens if agency nurse mistreats a patient who takes responsibility and what punishment can be used to said nurse also people there are agency carers who dont care

[butter-fly in reply to rememdium]

Lazy incompetent agency nurses present quite a different face to

senior staff, doctors etc. That means the patient has to complain for anyone to know something is amiss.

[rememdium in reply to butter-fly]

maybe the permanent staff should be able to report inferior agency staff with no fear of recrimination as how does patient know agency staff or maybe agency staff should have some form of of easily identifiable logo on uniform

[butter-fly in reply to rememdium]

Lazy, incompetent nurses are clever enough never to show their true colours to other professionals and often all staff on the wards are agency. Not hard to get two or even three of the same ilk on wards. We need whistle blowers but you know what happens to them!

[rememdium in reply to butter-fly]

the agency staff takes revenge on any patient who complains and whistleblowers are usually sacked or suspended

[butter-fly in reply to butter-fly]

Exactly!

[rememdium]

What checks are made when employing agency staff that they are getting a good or bad nurse the nhs should make policy to stop people from working in nhs in the same capacity for 2 years after they leave unless they want to be re-employed by nhs

[CornishBrian]

My daughter is a staff nurse in large hospital and she can only get three shifts a week from the NHS. To make her pay up, she goes to the same ward once a week, employed by an agency. If, for some reason the ward doesn't need her, then she goes to a different department. The agency pays her for the one shift but that is equivalent to two NHS shift pay.

[rememdium in reply to CornishBrian]

the mind boggles at the lack organisational skills of what are now called human resources managers once called personnel managers in my young days .I am sorry your daughter can only get 3 shifts are they not allowed to go to other wards that require someone or even double up on ward and each have less patients to look after to give them 5 shifts

[rememdium]

Makes you wonder if there are some backhanders going around from agencies

[onamission]

When we had our hospital built we had a few cottage hospitals which had to be sold all the staff from the cottage hospitals were guaranteed a job at the new hospital. The manager was fantastic she also set up a bank nurse list and if anyone was on holiday or sick she would call one off the list we were paid the same amount of money but no sick or holiday pay saved the hospital a fortune.

We were a PCT and we had a local councillor on this board he lived in Tenerife yes Spain he was responsible for bring in a load of nurses from China couldn't speak English and found it difficult to do simple obs and which party did this councillor belong to have a guess

[undine]

well as plenty of tories seem to have ties to ATOS, CAPITA etc. I would not be the least surprised if they have shares etc in some of the medical staff agencies - yet another way to put public funds into private coffers and eventually into their grubby little hands xx

[rememdium]

I can only agree wholeheartedly with you