NHS Workforce Alliance
Crown Commercial Service and NHS Procurement in Partnership are working together to deliver health workforce services under the banner of the NHS Workforce Alliance.
The collaboration is to ensure our customers have easy and quick access to a sustainable workforce and is part of a long-term plan to deliver a whole portfolio of health workforce services.
Among the commercial agreements already jointly launched are the International Recruitment framework which supports not just the NHS, but the wider public sector. It addresses the NHS need to increase international recruitment to fill existing permanent vacancies with dedicated staff and aligns with recommendations set out in the NHS Long Term Plan and the NHS People Plan.
The Flexible Resource Pool – Staff Bank, is also live and provides the ability to build a flexible staff bank for both clinical and non-clinical temporary staff. This framework is the first of its kind to ensure pre-employment assurance is undertaken against NHS Employers Check Standards for all workers employed by an outsourced bank.
The Non-Clinical Temporary and Fixed Term Staff framework agreement was launched. This replaces the previous Non-Medical Non-Clinical framework and provides access to competitive pricing, with the ability to better use fixed term appointments and statement of work.
The NHS Workforce Alliance has grouped together four existing CCS frameworks to form Workforce Support. The package brings together Learning and Training Services DPS, Occupational Health, Employee Assistance Programmes and Eye Care, Permanent Recruitment Solutions and the HR Lot (Lot 5) of the Management Consultancy framework.
Data and Application Solutions - Enterprise Applications for Health (lot 3a) covers eRostering, HR and payroll systems specifically designed to meet the requirements of trusts. Developed with input from the Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS, systems include timesheet approvals and staff bank management systems.
The NHS Workforce Alliance framework for Clinical and Healthcare Staffing gives you access to a wide range of capable suppliers who have been through a rigorous tender process, and who are able to offer differing ranges of temporary clinical grades across all staff groups.
Insourced Services to support the Provision of Healthcare Services is a free to access framework supports trusts to secure additional clinical capacity to bring down waiting times and ensure patients can be seen within the trusts.
The agreement includes the provision of clinical services to support you with meeting waiting time targets and easing pressure by utilising the services of providers on NHS premises, allowing you to retain capacity planning.
The NHS Workforce Alliance framework agreement, Workforce Improvement Services (WIS), which aims to address these pressures. WIS offers solutions to secure extra clinical capacity and greater control over the agency market, connecting you with workforce partners who understand the challenges of NHS staffing, creating the right solutions for your organisation’s needs.
The agreement offers holistic workforce improvement solutions, managed and delivered strategically and sympathetically to each other, to deliver best outcomes with a strong emphasis on upskilling trust staff, knowledge transfer and exit planning.
Local Updates
Our dedicated NOE CPC HR and People category team support the delivery of the Workforce Alliance frameworks.
Useful Documents
Ethical international recruitment: Responding to the NHS People Plan
Reduced rates on Flexible Resource Pool - Staff Bank
Becoming a Workforce Alliance supplier
Now is the time to plan for International Recruitment
Guidance for trusts on agency use during COVID-19
International Healthcare Professionals Recruitment and Associated Services flyer
Events
There are regular Workforce Alliance hosted events around the country. Please click here to view our events listings to see any that might taking place in your region.