Spending on agency staff across NHS in England drops by almost £1bn
Spending on agency staff across the NHS in England dropped by almost £1bn in the last financial year, ministers have said, after a pledge by Wes Streeting to cut the amount going to agencies by 30%.According to the Department of Health and Social Care, the total spent by trusts on agency staff during 2024-25 was nearly £1bn lower than the previous year.In a speech to the NHS Providers conference in November, Streeting, the health secretary, said a lack of permanent staff had seen gaps filled by more expensive agency-provided replacements totalling about £3bn a year.Under proposals outlined at the time, but not yet enacted, Streeting suggested that NHS trusts could be completely banned from using agency staff for lower level jobs such as healthcare assistants and domestic support workers.This could also involve stopping NHS staff from resigning and then immediately signing on with an agency, so they can do the same work for higher wages, and a much higher overall cost to the NHS.
In addition to employing agency staff, which can mean paying a doctor thousand of pounds for a single shift, NHS trusts also routinely plug gaps by using what are known as “bank” staff – NHS employees who do extra shifts at their own workplace or one nearby, via an organisation usually run by the trust.UK-wide figures reported by the Guardian in January 2024 showed that the combined spend of hospitals and GP surgeries for agency staff was an annual £4.6bn, with another £5.8bn used for bank shifts.As part of the clampdown on agency spending, Streeting and James Mackey, the chief executive of the imminently abolished NHS England, have jointly written to all NHS providers and integrated care board executives to set out that each should target the 30% reduction, and that their progress will be monitored.
“If we do not feel that sufficient progress is being made by the autumn, we will consider what further legislative steps we should take to ensure that use of agency staff is brought to an end,” they wrote,The letter also says hospital bosses should make sure the pay rates for bank shifts “are competitive but do not exceed those paid by agencies directly to the worker”,Trusts have already been ordered to reduce bank use by at least 10%,Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionElizabeth O’Mahony, NHS England’s chief financial officer, said: “The NHS is fully committed to making sure that every penny of taxpayers’ money is used wisely to the benefit of patients and the quality of care they receive,“Our reforms towards driving down agency spend by nearly £1bn over the past year will boost frontline services and help to cut down waiting lists, while ensuring fairness for our permanent staff.
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Sweet, seedless citrus: Australia’s best-value fruit and veg for June
Winter is all about citrus, says owner and buyer Josh Flamminio at Sydney’s Galluzzo Fruiterers. “Navel oranges are in. They’re from Mildura and they’re getting sweeter.” At $3 a kilo in supermarkets, they’re closely followed by mandarins. Daisy, imperial and Premium Gem varieties are also at their peak
Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for smoked trout and crisp potato cakes with capers, caraway and dill | Quick and easy
These rösti-adjacent potato cakes with capers, which crisp up beautifully at the edges, are an absolute win. I would eat them by themselves standing up at the cooker, but when they’re draped with a little smoked trout, creme fraiche and dill, and served alongside a light salad, they make for an elegant dinner for two. Some shaved fennel (with its frilly leaves) in a lemony dressing wouldn’t go amiss here, either.Prep 15 min Cook 10 min Serves 2400g waxy potatoes (I like alouette)1 tsp flaky sea salt5 tsp capers - 3 tsp roughly chopped, the rest finely chopped1 tsp fresh dill, chopped, plus extra to garnish5 heaped tbsp full-fat creme fraiche ½ tsp caraway seeds1 medium egg1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp butter100g smoked trout Juice of ½ lemonGreen salad, to serve (optional)Wash the potatoes, but don’t bother peeling them. Now’s the time to use the grating attachment on your food processor, which will grate the potatoes in seconds; otherwise do so by hand
How to make clam chowder – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass
I ate a lot of clam chowder in Massachusetts last summer. Thick and comfortingly creamy, it might feel a tad wintry were it not for the sweet, briny clams, which sing of sea breezes and sunshine. Though the name derives from the French chaudière, or cauldron, chowder is New England through and through, and best eaten in the fresh air, whether that’s in Cape Cod or Capel-le-Ferne.Prep 40 min Soak 20 minCook 30 min Serves 42kg live clams, or defrosted in-shell frozen clamsSalt and black pepper200g thick unsmoked bacon, or pancetta1 onion 2 medium waxy potatoes 1 bay leaf 2 tbsp plain flour 150ml double or whipping cream A knob of butterThough they’re abundant along our coastline, clams aren’t terribly popular in this country. Fishmongers and some supermarkets (eg Morrisons) often have live clams; they can also be found online, and in the freezer section of bigger supermarkets and in Asian food stores
‘Burgundy eat your heart out!’: Devon producer is toast of wine world
They began by producing drinks more usually associated with the rolling hills of southern England – hearty ciders, warming tipples made from hedgerow fruits and good old-fashioned mead.But Lyme Bay Winery in Devon is celebrating a bit of history having become the first English producer to win prestigious international trophies for both red and white wine in the same year.Its Martin’s Lane Estate chardonnay 2020 and Lyme Bay Winery pinot noir 2021 won the English white trophy and English red trophy respectively at the 2025 International Wine Challenge (IWC).“We knew we had produced some really good wine that had aged beautifully,” the winery’s operations manager Wolfgang Sieg-Hogg said. “We thought we’d be there or thereabouts but to take both prizes is wonderful
Town, London WC2: ‘This place is a feeder’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants
Off to Town this week, on Drury Lane. Yes, a restaurant called Town, one word, so a bit of a challenge to find online. Then again, perhaps by the time you’re as experienced and beloved a restaurateur as Stevie Parle, formerly of Dock Kitchen, Craft, Sardine, Palatino and Joy, your regular clientele will make the effort to find you. Parle’s shtick, roughly speaking, is thoughtful, high-end Mediterranean cooking and warm, professional hospitality, so the longer I thought about him opening a new place in London’s theatre heartland and calling it just Town, the more it made sense.The Guardian’s journalism is independent
Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for glazed cinnamon focaccia | The sweet spot
If you’ve been anywhere near TikTok, you’re likely to have seen plenty of videos of sweet focaccia doing the rounds. I’m not normally one to jump on to viral trends, but I couldn’t resist trying this one. The dough is pretty easy, with no kneading or stand mixer required – just some stretching, folding and plenty of time to rest. You end up with something that tastes like a cinnamon bun/doughnut hybrid, that’s not too sweet and with a little more chew.Prep 5 min Prove 3 hr+ Cook 1 hr 15 min Serves 12-16For the dough450g bread flour 7g instant yeast 2 tbsp sugar 1 tsp fine sea salt 30ml olive oil, plus extra for greasingFor the cinnamon sugar3½ tsp cinnamon 50g caster sugar 50g unsalted butter, melted For the glaze3 tbsp icing sugar ¼ tsp cinnamon 2 tsp whole milk A pinch of saltPut the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer, and mix to combine
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