Anyone working for an agency?

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Specializes in ICU.

I am thinking of doing agency work part time and am wondering which agency to apply to for ICU/HDU work in the West Mids/Staffs area.

Does anyone have any suggestions, advice etc?

Thanks

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Depends on what the hospitals are using. May have to contact them and see whih agencies they use

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.

None of the hospitals in my area will use agency nurses. If we want to request agency we have to go to the Head nurse who then goes to the chief exec who never authorises it.

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Specializes in ICU.
None of the hospitals in my area will use agency nurses. If we want to request agency we have to go to the Head nurse who then goes to the chief exec who never authorises it.

That is the case at my Trust too, can't remember the last time we had agency nurses working in ICU. Maybe the best bet would be to join another hospitals nurse bank?

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Specializes in midwifery, gen surgical, community.

Please be careful when joining nurse banks. Our trust will only pay bank nurses at mid point band 5, so if you have years of experience (like you have) you will be paid less than your normal rate.

I did bring it up with my MP (Gwen Dunwoody), and I believe the trust got the lawyers in and it is perfectly legal (if not morally wrong).

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I am now overseas, did a fair bit of agency in A&E and ICU throughout London until 2 years ago, I like many others left when the NHS brought in the absurd LAP3 project, just a way to reduce agency pay rates. Rates of pay went from approx 20 p/h to just over 16 p/h in central London and work became non-existant, hospitals would not use agency. Coming from Australia, we have strict patient-nurse ratios which mean that hospitals can't work without agency nurses, don't have the staff levels to work without, and they couldn't reduce agency pay rates as nurses would strike and complain. I find it interesting that nurses put up with this in the UK? So are your hospitals under staffed? Do you find that there is enough bank nurses to cover? Seems nurses don't have a voice in the UK, what I find funny is that the physician assistant movement is gaining pace, another healthcare group who will be telling nurses what to do!!! with pay rates of 40k in Somerset for a PA with 2 years experience, yet nurses can't get a decent pay rise??? My advice would be try agency but don't be surprised if you don't get work, so keep your options open, maybe sign up with 1 or 2 agencies and a nurse bank.

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