Press release: Regulator sets up team to tackle billion pound agency black hole Monitor figures show spending on temporary staff in the NHS rose by 29% to £2.4 billion in 2013-14. A recent report to Monitor’s board suggested that foundation trusts spent over double (£1.8 billion versus £766 million) what they had originally planned on contract and agency staff.
The team has been set up to run an initial three-month trial at 3 foundation trusts. Support will include action planning that will help foundation trusts deliver savings, and a diagnostic tool that will identify weaknesses in how trusts are managing their staffing. There are also a series of workshops designed to spread best practice within the NHS.
If the trial is successful (by the end of August 2015) the regulator will consider the appointment of a team of experts on a permanent basis.
This announcement follows the establishment of Monitor’s Provider Sustainability Directorate which aims to develop a pool of expertise to support foundation trusts. This includes bringing in-house much of the work currently done for the regulator by external suppliers in the fields of provider sustainability and solutions development (also known as contingency planning).
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