National Health Service (NHS) managers are NOW privy to a comprehensive list of suppliers of temporary security operatives thanks to the signing of a national framework agreement, writes Brian Sims.
A shortage of skilled staff and wide variations in the quality of operatives – and the price paid for their services per hour – has meant that the NHS has been paying upwards of GB pound 35 million per annum on temporary ancillary staff needed to cover key areas including security, maintenance and catering. Previously, individual Trusts had to make their own arrangements, but the new framework agreement is in line with similar (and successful) agreements covering temporary medical and nursing staff.
The process of defining an agreement began last April, when more than 150 ‘expressions of interest’ were received from staffing agencies. A rigorous pre-qualification and tendering procedure, including financial checks and the collation of references, was then carried out by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency in tandem with the Department of Health’s Commercial Directorate. The bidding process included an online auction to identify the most competitive and capable suppliers (see ‘Opinion’, page 11-12). The final list was submitted in September.
According to an NHS statement, the benefits of the new agreement (which will run for three years) include:
- better value for money – competitive prices with “scope for further discounts and no surprises”;
- reduced risk to NHS organisations through standardised NHS-friendly terms and conditions;
- tighter checks on temporary security operatives covering areas such as qualifications and training;
- complete coverage of all ancillary job types to all regions of the country, and a large choice of suppliers.