RCN members have reacted angrily to a ban on employing agency nurses whose main employment is in their own Trust or another NHS Trust.

Nurses have begun receiving letters from their current employers stating that Trusts will only be able to engage staff working additional hours through their own staff banks.

Prior to this, NHS Improvement contacted Trusts in February informing them of the new arrangements. However, neither the RCN or the NHS Staff Council agreed to this move.

RCN Head of Employment Relations Josie Irwin said: “We do not support this agency ban and we were not consulted. We support the right of our members to work in whatever way is best for them and their families.

She also added “There is no obligation on nurses to join a hospital bank. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that shifts are filled.”

Following this recent news the RCN has advised members that staff are entitled to make whatever arrangements to suit them and their families.

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