Using temporary workers in the NHS and social care could be costing money and compromising quality and safety, according to a new report published by a team of researchers at Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham and West of Scotland universities.

The research, led by Leeds University Business School’s Centre for Employment Relations Innovation and Change (CERIC) and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, explored the growing use of professional agency staff in health and social care and the implications for management practice and the delivery of services.

It concluded that while employing temporary agency staff is often unavoidable to maintain services, it remains costlier than using full-time employees, despite recent evidence of falling fees.

Poor quality, competency and performance of some agency workers due to inadequate training was also highlighted as well as problems related to some agency workers’ lack of knowledge about the organisation and limited commitment to the employer and damaged staff morale.

Professor Kirkpatrick, deputy director of CERIC, says: “Agency staff play an important role in providing flexibility and the ability to bring in specialists as required. However, there are some significant risks, both in making sure the right people are recruited and that support systems for those people, once in post, are effective.”