HEREFORDSHIRE's health trust is looking to cut millions from its staff spending this year.

Wye Valley NHS Trust currently spends millions on agency staffing but, recently published trust board minutes reveal, is aiming to spend £4 million less on agency nurses than last year, with a target spend of no more than £5.3 million in the full year.

An agency reduction report presented to the trust board said the trust needs to spend no more than £450,000 per month to achieve this, but that it had spent £660,000 and £620,000 on agency staffing in the first two months of this financial year, and that there is "lots more work to do".

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The report said that the savings would be achieved through the trust's employed workforce, with its vacancy position improving and sickness management improving, despite some "hot spots".

But, the report said, the trust is in a "deteriorating vacancy position" for health care support workers, with sickness levels at eight per cent.

"We therefore will be targeting our efforts on recruitment and sickness management, to reduce our reliance on temporary workforce and therefore get down to the level of spend to meet the ambitious target that we have set ourselves," the report said.

The update comes as figures published by Wye Valley NHS Trust in response to a freedom of information request have revealed the rates being paid to agency staff at Herefordshire's hospitals.

Agency staff at Wye Valley NHS Trust are provided by ID Medical and Thornbury Nursing Services, with the trust previously confirming in a response to an earlier freedom of information request that it only uses agency nursing staff from master vendor ID Medical and Thornbury.

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Band 2 agency staffing pay

The rates paid to band two healthcare assistants, who support registered nurses with care tasks including patient personal care and clinical observations have fallen by between £1 and £2 since 2023 to 24.

Tier 1 basic rates for ID Medical staff have fallen from £20.45 per hour to £19.43 per hour, and at the other end of the scale, public holiday pay has fallen from £28.18 per hour to £26.07.

For Thornbury band 2 staff, basic rates have remained stable across the board.

Band 5 (general) agency staffing pay

ID Medical's band 5 registered nurses have also seen their hourly rate fall across the board, with tier 1 basic rates of £39.21 in 2023 to 24 falling to £37.27 in the current financial year and public holiday rates dropping from £48.56 to £44.92.

Thornbury rates have again remained stable. 

Band 5 (critical) agency staffing pay

The picture is the same for band 5 critical care nurses, who have also seen a drop in pay.