About 150 agencies are celebrating inclusion in the NHS Framework Agreement to supply temporary staff over the next three years.
The qualification process started in September, when the NHS called for expressions of interest from agencies for temporary staff, which it estimates will cost it £420m a year. 

The scheme covers staff in administration, professional, and technical roles. It also covers allied health professionals (AHPs), who include physiotherapists, occupational therapists and radiographers.
The process began with a pre-qualifying questionnaire. This progressed to an invitation to tender (ITT) in November, a second ITT in February and an online auction in March. The new framework began last month.

“It’s a great relief,” said Edward Simpson, managing director at Mediplacements, a supplier of AHP staff. “We had total confidence in our quality standards, but there is always a nagging doubt about pricing. This enables us to build further on the strong relationships we have already established.”

EM Recruitment was included in the list for finance, information technology, AHP and health science service staff, including pharmacists. Managing director Elaine Mannion said the process had “important vetting procedures”.
As yet, the successful agencies have not been audited. The process has relied on information supplied by the agencies.
“Suppliers of AHPs will receive full audit visits. Others will be subject initially to paper audits with follow ups as necessary,”
said Janet Bullard of the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency. 

Individual trusts are not obliged to use the agencies, but are more likely to do so because of the lower prices negotiated and quality assurance available.
The framework kicks in just as several NHS Trusts have made headlines for announcing staff cutbacks. Some expect this to hurt agencies heavily.
Gill Morgan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS bodies, said most of the posts being lost were “not real jobs”, but jobs filled by temporary or agency staff.
Marcia Roberts, deputy chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, said: “Many temporary staff choose to work only through recruitment agencies. Short-term cuts in temporary staff will not solve the long-term financial problems faced by the NHS.”