A row has broken out after the recruitment industry's trade body claimed the health service's in-house recruitment agency owed £5m in fees.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has claimed NHS Professionams is threatening the future of some private recruitment agencies by failing to pay on time.

The REC warned that the failure of NHS Professionals to make payments is jeopardising the provision of temporary workers into the health service.

Following complaints from some of its members, the REC carried out an investigation and found that around £5 million is owed by NHS Professionals to recruitment agencies nationwide.

Gareth Osborne, managing director of the REC said: “The issue of late payment is causing major problems for recruitment agencies and is another example of how the extra layer of bureaucracy that NHSP creates is hindering the effective resourcing of the NHS.”

NHS Professionals has denied the claims.