The recruitment industry has defended itself against claims made in the national press that it is charging the NHS excessive hourly rates when providing temporary staff.

A report in the Daily Telegraph said that agencies were charging the NHS up to £116 an  hour for agency nurses, and £157 an hour, the equivalent of £306,000 a year for a senior manager.

Ian McDougall,  client relations director at Castlerock Care Services, told Recruiter: “We don’t work to those hourly rates.”

McDougall says he suspects  that the rates mentioned in the press are being charged by agencies operating outside the NHS PASA ( Purchasing & Supply Agency) framework agreements. “NHS trusts which go outside the framework agreement pay a premium,”  he adds.

Tom Hadley, the REC’s (Recruitment & Employment Confederation) director of external relations, says: “The NHS requires a flexible modern workforce to deliver first class care to patients. As part of this, there is a vital role for agency staff who can be drafted in at the last minute to provide specialist cover, and for the recruitment agencies that provide a 24-hour service to ensure that patients receive care around the clock.

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“From time to time, a highly skilled professional will be called out at very short notice to provide essential care for a patient and may command a high hourly rate.  However, it is misleading to suggest that agency staff routinely receive huge hourly pay rates to cover shifts. The reality is that the NHS tightly controls agency staff spend through its procurement procedures.

“In addition it is important to note that the rates quoted will include the agency worker’s wages, holiday pay and national insurance contributions as well as a fee to the agency for the service they provide.”