The NHS Workforce Alliance operates a rigorous audit programme with our contracted agencies, which is aligned to NHS Employers Check Standards and ensures compliant recruitment practices to reduce patient risk. We are pleased to report that in general our contracted suppliers work to a high standard. Where necessary, we work with our supply base on targeted improvements and, in the rare cases where an agency fails to meet its contractual obligations, it will be either suspended or removed from the framework and NHS trusts will be informed.
While our audit programme enables you to source agency workers from our frameworks with confidence, it is good practice for all NHS trusts to undertake their own due diligence:
- Trusts should be informed via a pre-placement checklist from the supplier that checks have been completed against the 6 NHS Employment check standards. The standards cover areas such as right to work, DBS and qualification checks. The checklist must include details of all training provided pre-placement, demonstrating alignment to all mandatory and statutory requirements determined by the Skills for Health – Core Skills Training Framework.
- It is vital that assignment checklists are completed and checked accurately by the trust, and that all requirements such as professional registrations (including requirements for voluntary registration) as well as any additional training requirements are clearly specified and agreed with the supplier.
For any queries around temporary staffing agency compliance please reach out to your dedicated Alliance contact, or send us a message via our website contact form.