Recruiters are claiming they have been left in the dark by the Department of Health (DoH) following the announcement that NHS PASA (Purchasing & Supply Agency) is to be closed within the next 12 months.

PASA is to be replaced by a more commercially focused regionally based regime (recruiter.co.uk, 12 May).

John Herron, divisional director at Reed Nurse, Health & Doctor, told Recruiter that his agency had not received any communication from the DoH about how the changes were going to affect the agency in the short term.

Herron says he is worried that the absence of PASA could allow agencies to win business from the NHS without having to meet the current high standards required by PASA.

“The Department of Health should issue a statement saying either the existing framework agreements are in place, or there will be a new tendering process,” says Herron. “We can’t go back to the bad old days. We must ensure that the high standards of compliance under PASA are maintained.”

Craig Tibbles, chief executive of Orion Locums, told Recruiter there was “a total sense of confusion and a lack of communication” from PASA and the DoH about what would happen between now and when PASA closed its doors. 

Tibbles says he wrote to PASA earlier this week seeking clarification, and that PASA had responded saying that they didn’t know anything more about it than he did.

Tibbles says he is concerned that the new regionally based purchasing regime could restrict the flow of staff between areas of the country where there are surplus staff to areas of staff shortage. He says that such flexibility could be at risk unless agencies have individual arrangements with each of the individual PCTs (Primary Care Trusts).  

Recruiter contacted the Department of Health and PASA but had not received a response as we went to press.