Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS trusts employed the maximum possible number of nursing agency staff within the spending limits set for 2015-16; and how many have done so to date in 2016-17.

National Health Service trusts are responsible for taking the appropriate action to allow them to staff wards in a way that ensures quality patient care and delivers value for money including decisions about how and when to make use of staff employed by agencies. The Department monitors total spend on all agency staff employed by NHS trusts, however this data is not broken down by staff group.

The Department has introduced a package of measures to support trusts to reduce their use of agency staff, including price caps limiting the amount a trust can pay to an agency for a temporary member of staff. The measures have had a significant impact - across the country trusts are using the price caps to negotiate lower rates and secure a better deal for taxpayers. The NHS spent £300 million less than it was projected to in 2015/16 with further savings forecast for the current financial year.