Use of approved agencies 'crucial when seeking medical staff'
Thursday 28th January 2010
It is important for organisations seeking to hire new medical staff to use approved agencies, as failing to do so can be risky. The need for such professionals is considerable, with figures produced by the NHS suggesting that a typical day sees more than 835,000 people visiting their GP practice or practice nurse and nearly 50,000 individuals attending accident and emergency departments. In addition, around 94,000 people are admitted to hospitals for emergency treatment, while 36,000 are typically in medical centres for planned procedures.
Although the demand for the services provided by people skilled in roles such as surgeons, hospital doctors, pharmacists and physiotherapists is high, short-cuts should not be taken when it comes to the recruitment process. A body set up to control the hiring of staff, as well as a number of other contractual issues, is NHS PaSA. It ensures that the NHS in England makes the most effective use of its resources by getting the best possible value for money when purchasing goods and services.
Its primary function as an executive agency of the Department of Health is to achieve cost savings and improve patient care and quality standards by regulating the outsourced supplier chain. The body claims to have achieved savings for the health service of more than £1 billion over the last five years. Centrally funded by the government, it describes itself as in a key position to advise ministers concerning the direction of procurement across the NHS.
When health organisations are recruiting temporary medical staff, the need for PaSA regulation can be said to be at its most important. Insisting on the use of a PaSA approved agency means that it is possible to safeguard the employer against escalating supply costs, poorly vetted and unsuitable workers and the possibility of being 'held to ransom' by unrealistic clauses built into company terms of business.
Candidates supplied by PaSA approved agencies are screened, highly insured and have pricing structures and approved standardised term and conditions. In addition, they are subject to stringent levels of compliance and vetting procedures.
Using staff members who come from such organisations can significantly reduce the concerns organisations may otherwise have as to whether workers can effectively do the jobs they have been recruited for.
Meanwhile, non-regulated agencies can be more expensive and some lack credible trading history or experience. Also, some of them are accused of engaging in the practice of promising jobseekers unrealistic pay rates. This can result in short-term gain at the cost of workers' ultimate pain.
One PaSA approved firm is Mediplacements, which was re-awarded status to the NHS PaSA National Framework Agreement for the supply of Allied Health Professionals (AHP) and Health Science Services (HSS) personnel in April last year. The contract will last for the next three years.
Established in 1995, Mediplacements has built up a reputation among professionals in the health industry for the quality of its recruitment services. As such, it has succeeded in securing contracts with a range of healthcare organisations. Currently, Guys & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire NHS Strategic Health Authority, Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, Nuffield Private Hospitals Nationwide and BUPA Private Hospitals Nationwide are among its clients.
Companies involved in medical recruitment may well be experiencing a busy time at present, with figures recently released by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG suggesting that employers across the UK are lifting freezes on taking on new staff as the country begins to emerge from the recession.
In a survey of more than 400 organisations, it was found that the rise in permanent jobs during November was the fastest in two years, with the nursing and medical sectors particularly active.
Responding to the statistics, REC chief executive Kevin Green said: "Flexibility in the UK's labour market has proved effective in ensuring unemployment has not reached the levels experienced by some international competitors. Whilst UK output has shrunk by 5.9 per cent, employment has declined by only two per cent."
Meanwhile, KPMG's Bernard Brown added: "Confidence has definitely returned ... and the jobs market looks healthier today than at any time in the last two and a half years."
However, the expert went on to state that the firm is still interested to see the impact of the government's anticipated public sector cuts on the jobs market.
The Labour administration currently has difficult choices to make concerning how it claws back the money it used to prop up the failing banking system in the wake of the credit crunch. It is thought that significant savings measures will be introduced, which may have an impact on the medical care sector over coming years.
A general election must be held in by early June and the political parties have already begun setting out their visions of how healthcare services should be handled, although precise details remain scant.
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