Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps to encourage NHS bank staff to remain employed by the NHS in the context of higher rates of pay available through external agencies.

Most temporary staffing shifts are filled by bank workers with latest available figures for 2022/23 being 76%. Trusts are encouraged to fill workforce gaps through bank workers, including expanding the provision of in-house staff banks, and trusts are working together to improve transparency of pay rates across both bank and agency staff which is helping to reduce costs.

Bank rates of pay are set locally to align with agenda for change pay scales. The agency price cap was set to be broadly comparable with the cost of substantive and bank staff, in terms of cost to the National Health Service. While there are instances of agency workers receiving higher pay levels than the price cap, NHS England is supporting trusts to reduce off-framework agency provision and to improve price cap compliance. Trusts are working to improve flexible working opportunities for staff to encourage them towards substantive NHS contracts.