Case studies

National Clinical Staffing Framework

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Preferred Supplier List (PSL) is a vehicle to apply, drive, and measure NHS Improvement rules around agency and worker pay caps under the NHS National Clinical Staffing Framework. The PSL works with a number of suppliers under bespoke terms and conditions, overseen and managed by the East of England NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub. Trusts across the region experienced issues with fill rates and compliance. Suppliers in the region regularly breached terms and commercial rates, posing an issue to patient safety and affordability. Trusts also found working with an increased number of agencies meant they had less ability to influence supplier behaviour with the promise of increased business.

The Hub implemented a new contract under the overarching framework agreement, including bespoke clauses and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to manage supply and demand within the trust. In collaboration with the trusts, the Hub created a list of agencies with a proven track record in terms of ability to supply quality candidates and cost compliance within the framework terms. Since the creation of the PSL, the Hub implemented periodic supplier review meetings which have seen meaningful dialogue between the trusts, agencies, and the Hub. These meetings are in place to address any issues within the PSL, to modify the list of PSL agencies should they fail to meet KPIs, and to introduce new agencies that are promoted to the PSL.

To satisfy requirements in both acute and community trusts, the Hub’s workforce team created two bespoke PSL’s. The driver for creating bespoke PSL’s was benefiting from specialty suppliers, to meet the demand of low-volume, hard-to fill roles.

Since the creation of the Nursing PSL, trusts have been able to rationalise their multiple routes to market and streamline their framework usage. This has led to compliance against NHSI caps improving and the administration burden on trust staff has being reduced due to the smaller number of agencies that the trust interacts and has bookings with.