NHS Trusts across London are spending at least £850 million per year on temporary staff, according to a new report from Labour’s London Assembly Health Spokesperson, Dr Onkar Sahota AM.
'NHS vacancies in London: How to fill the gap', describes the policy environment as "flawed." Launching the report, Dr Sahota says Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups are doing their best but without investment in training and recruitment from the government, “their hands are pretty much tied."
FOI data collected by Dr Sahota shows some Trusts are spending as much as 10% of their budgets on temporary staff, as the number of vacant staff posts across the capital rises to almost 25,000.
In addition, seven in ten NHS apprenticeships are going to existing staff instead of being used to recruit new workers.
An opportunity may also be being missed to encourage health workers to remain in London; it is predicted that the target of 50% affordable homes on NHS surplus land will not be met, although more data is necessary to form a truly accurate picture. Research published by the New Economics Foundation in 2019 found that not a single home on major sites on ex-NHS land in London given planning permission in 2017/18 would be affordable to nurses.
Whilst waiting for the government to announce its long term plans for recruitment and development funding, Dr Sahota believes London politicians can take steps themselves to address this situation and offers six recommendations to the London Mayor.
• London Workforce Board could co-ordinate the use of bank staff rather than agency
• Work with Skills for Londoners Business Partnership on a detailed plan to back up his commitment to support the health and social care sector
• Track proposed land sales across the GLA family and wider public sector in London
• Encourage partners to meet the 50% minimum for affordable homes in developments on NHS surplus land
• Explore whether the Land Fund can be used to enable the GLA or others to acquire sets of sites enabling a portfolio approach to development
• Support NHS bodies and housing associations providing key worker housing to develop a city-wide register of properties.
