NHS Professionals, the National Health Service’s (NHS) in-house recruitment agency, has been accused of poaching nurses from agencies, then charging hospitals premium rates for their services.

The claims have emerged after research by the Royal College of Nursing showed fierce competition for well-trained nurses. The study suggested countries like the US and Canada are tempting international nurses away from working in the UK, particularly Filipino nurses that the NHS has come to rely on.

The Nurses Agencies Association trade body (NAA) claims NHS Professionals is operating contrary to its original remit, which was to provide hospitals and NHS trusts with lower priced temporary nurses.

Recruiter has obtained a letter, sent to nurses in the Leeds region, detailing a plan to replace all agency theatre specialist nurses in Leeds Teaching Hospitals with nurses on the payroll of NHS Professionals. The nurses would be paid a £24 per hour specialist rate, which is a premium nurse pay rate. Currently a ward nurse would earn in the region of £17-18 per hour.

On top of this, the hospital would pay an additional 7.5% fee to NHS Professionals, along with the usual national insurance, VAT and holiday pay contributions.

The NAA claimed the hospital would end up paying more per hour for a theatre specialist than if it had hired the nurse through an agency. Steven Rubel, director of the NAA, said the arrangement was anti-competitive: “This looks like out and out poaching and does not make sense given that some agencies charge £24 per hour in total, including fees, national insurance, VAT and holiday pay.”

A spokesman on behalf of NHS Professionals and Leeds Teaching Hospitals said: “This rate was set by the trust, not NHS Professionals.

“It is an ‘anytime’ rate and is therefore not adjusted for weekend and bank holiday periods. The rate, which was agreed in partnership with staff representatives, represents good value for money.”