A private nursing agency accused by the Evening Standard of charging the NHS £1,000 a day has refuted the allegations. Bristol-based Thornbury Nursing Services condemned the article as ‘a poor piece of journalism’ and ‘under-informed’.

An article in the Evening Standard on 22 February 2002 accused Thornbury of ‘bleeding the health service dry’ with its ‘massive charges.’ It pinpointed a specific occasion last August bank holiday when Thornbury apparently charged £1,019.40 for a single 12-hour shift at Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath in Sussex.

‘Thornbury did not even supply a nurse to that hospital on that particular day,’ chief executive Robert Murgatroyd told Professional Recruiter. ‘This is an old story and simply trying to be sensational.’

The agency refused to respond to the Evening Standard directly. ‘I don’t think there’s much point getting into a slanging match about this. I don’t think they really want to listen to us anyway.’

Thornbury do charge more than some agencies, Murgatroyd admitted. ‘We offer a very specialised service – last-minute placements – and also a very high-quality service. Most others do not offer such a specific service.’

The majority of revenue is channelled back in to the business through nurses’ pay and investment in technology, he added.

There has been a lot of progress in the relations between the NHS, the government and nursing agencies, explained Murgatroyd. ‘The point is that nursing agencies provide a valuable service. Thornbury is part of the solution to the general nursing crisis not part of the problem.’