Nurses and health professional are being asked to join a reserves programme in Staffordshire.
Those considering working extra hours in settings are being offered “escalated rates of pay” and the chance to pick and choose where they work.
The NHS often use agency staff to fill gaps in rotas, but health chiefs say by removing the intermediary they are able to reduce the overall cost while also offering higher levels of payment.
Heather Johnstone, chief nurse of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB), said:
“Many nurses and other health professionals choose to work through agencies even though they lose the benefits of direct NHS employment. This is often because being able to pick-and-choose shifts and this works better for family life and other commitments.
“We believe this could be very attractive to those looking for extra shifts or to people who have recently retired but would now like to work some reduced hours to suit their circumstances.
“It may also suit some people who have jobs in the private health sector and who want to work extra hours.
“There are a wide variety of posts and locations and we want to be as flexible as possible in the way we fill them.”
Heather Johnstone
More information on joining the reservists scheme is available online.
