Push to ‘protect’ agency nurses as law changes loom
A campaign celebrating agency nursing, and other temporary work, has been launched with nurses saying they would have left the profession had it not been for the option.
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), the professional body for the recruitment industry, recently announced its Temp Work Works campaign.
“[Agency nursing] also maintains my mental health and allows a fantastic work-life balance with my family”
Edith Breeze
It aims to shine a positive light on temporary work, arguing that the work flexibility “serves a social purpose”.
There have long been concerns about the high agency spend in the NHS and the perceived overreliance on temporary staff.
Patient safety research – including a recent paper published by the University of Southampton – has suggested that temporary nurses cannot be used as a replacement for permanent staff.
The government’s upcoming Employment Rights Bill may see changes impacting temporary work.
The aim of the new bill is to “ban exploitative practices and enhance employment rights” such as by cracking down on zero-hour contracts.
However, the REC’s campaign has urged that the government should “tread carefully” with any reforms to regulations involving temporary work and “protect workers but not [shut] down the flexibility they value”.
Micha Clacken, a 111 clinical advisor and registered nurse who works via an agency in the West Midlands, said that without the flexibility of temporary nursing she would have left the profession “many years ago”.
“Agency nursing has given me the freedom to pick my own hours which in turn has helped me manage my mental health,” said Ms Clacken, 33.
“I have found being able to book short hours, more often has given me the freedom to balance work with being a single mother without feeling overwhelmed.”
REC chief executive Neil Carberry said the government’s legislative changes must “support temps”, noting how temporary staffing was needed to address high vacancy rates in various sectors, including nursing.
His comments follow the publication, last week, of a Health Services Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) report which called for more support for agency and bank nurses after it was found many were subject to discrimination due to their work status and, in some cases, their ethnicity.
South West England-based nurse Edith Breeze, 74, retired from full-time nursing aged 69 but continues to work via an agency to this day.
Ms Breeze said she would recommend temporary work in the health service to colleagues facing retirement, in order to remain working.
“Being able to continue in a temp work role through an agency benefited not only my patients and the service providers I work for, it also maintains my mental health and allows a fantastic work-life balance with my family,” she said.
Mr Carberry said flexibility was the crux of what his organisation wanted to protect.
The REC, as part of the campaign, surveyed 520 agency workers from a variety of sectors.
The majority of respondents said flexibility and work-life balance were among the benefits of temporary work, with around half (53%) saying it was the “right kind of role” for their current stage in life.
“As our new survey and [case studies] show, flexibility is a vital bridge to work for people who need to balance caring responsibilities, work despite health issues, combine work and study, and upskill,” said the REC chief executive.
