- Conference
- 2015 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 4 December 2014
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes with concern the increasing use of agency staff within the NHS to plug the gaps caused by sickness, unfilled vacancies and general staff shortages.
In Wales alone, the cost of locum and agency staff in the last year was £14 million which accounts for 1.9% of the total NHS Wales budget. This is a 43% increase on the previous year and the highest it has been for four years.
This increase in expenditure has taken place against a backdrop of continuing pay restraint and cuts to terms and conditions.
Conference calls on the Health Service Group Executive to lobby all the Governments of the UK to reduce the use of agency staff by:
1) increasing hours of part-time staff (under WTE) in the workplace;
2) paying overtime where practicable;
3) introducing streamlined recruitment practices;
4) training more specialist nurses and clinical support staff;
5) better workforce planning;
6) greater use of permanent contracts.