Modernising NHS tech a ‘step in the right direction’

While the government’s plan to invest and modernise technology to support the NHS has been welcomed, there needs to be more focus on employment. 

The employment crisis reported for clinical and non-clinical roles in healthcare in particular, needs to be a priority.

This is according to the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), which is calling on the government to consider core solutions to the NHS worker crisis.

Some of these include:

• Focusing on temporary staff reforms to reduce ‘off framework’ placements without eliminating agency worker access altogether.
• Recognising the value of a blended, flexible workforce and ensuring attractive pay rates and good working conditions for all.
• Developing a Digital Work Passport to help make hiring easier, faster and safer.
• Supporting skills and training for both permanent and temporary or agency workers.

Shazia Imtiaz, General Counsel at APSCo, commented, “The plans to modernise technology usage in the NHS are certainly a step in the right direction for an organisation that is essentially on its knees. However, the biggest issue that needs addressing urgently is the employment crisis.

“There’s a range of barriers that are preventing some of the immediate solutions from being rolled out, including a lack of standardisation in compliance and regulation across frameworks, as well as limitations on agency or international worker usage.

“We are urging the Government to consider how it can make recruitment fairer, safer and faster for clinical and non-clinical roles in the NHS, without overburdening both the existing workforce and the staffing businesses that are so critical to the healthcare sector.”

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