REC’s position on the staffing crisis in the NHS

Colder months are always pinch points for the NHS and the care sector. But this year, we are faced with challenges like never before with a series of planned strikes and growing staffing gaps that could risk patient safety. To keep the wards open, some NHS Trusts have no option but to look to alternative, last minute options. But this is avoidable.  

Instead, we should have a comprehensive long-term workforce plan and appropriate funding to enable better working conditions and pay to help with retention and recruitment. We have repeatedly offered our data and the expertise of our members to the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England and Improvement to address these issues collaboratively. As NHS Providers and the Shadow Health Secretary have said, patient safety is a priority. But that can’t be given without adequate staffing.  

Agency nurses, locum doctors and bank staff serve important roles in supporting hospitals. NHS suppliers are ready to work with the NHS on a staffing plan that delivers great care and value for the taxpayer. In many of the cases we read about in the press, the real problem is that the NHS staffing frameworks are not fit for purpose anymore. With no movement on public sector pay rates and an inability to provide truly flexible working conditions for substantive roles, this has led to more and more shifts being rejected, and more high-cost, last-minute shifts being needed.  

We need a change in thinking in how best to procure staff for the NHS – a strategy that actually puts people first. It starts with a better understanding of the vital role of agency staff who keep NHS wards open. We will continue to educate relevant stakeholders and the media about the important work that our members and their staff deliver every day.