Focus on Agency Working

Agency staff remain a core part of the social care workforce given the continuing high vacancy rates. However, specialist agencies are having to work harder to attract locums and demonstrate their value to councils. Since a 2004 review of public sector efficiency, authorities have been under pressure to make savings on agency spending. 
Large operators, known as managed service providers, are offering councils savings by sourcing all of their temporary staff, while authorities are also doing more to persuade staff to take permanent jobs. To compete, agencies must trade on their specialist knowledge, while also offering councils efficiency and staff flexibility.

The rise of managed service providers