Hospital trust to cut agency spend by 'at least' 30%
A hospital trust is planning on cutting its spend on agency staff by "at least" 30% as part of a bid to reduce costs.University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB) has outlined a series of measures in a board meeting report to save £67m before the end of March 2026.The union Unison said it would work with the trust to ensure any changes were "fair" as well as "safe" for the public and staff.A UHDB report says: "Like all NHS trusts, we have been asked to reduce our costs, and we recognise the national drive to ensure the NHS is as efficient and good value for money for the taxpayer as possible."
In March, Ian Litchfield, interim chair of UHDB, said the 2025/26 financial year would be the most "difficult" period the trust had ever faced.In the 2024/25 period, the trust saved £62.7 million, but the report prepared by UHDB said it would need to "go further" this year.Measures being undertaken by UHDB include reducing spend on bank costs by 10%, cutting agency spend by "at least" 30% as well as reducing corporate costs by £3.3m.
Protecting vital services
Gareth Eales, Unison East Midlands head of health, said UHDB, like many NHS trusts, was facing "enormous" financial pressures after years of "underinvestment".Mr Eales added: "High agency costs are a symptom of a deeper staffing crisis. The real solution lies in long-term investment to recruit, train and retain NHS staff, not short-term cuts that risk making the situation worse."The priority must be protecting the NHS workforce and the vital services local people depend on."The report from UHDB says there is a "real focus" on the country's finances, and it is "understandable and right" that the NHS forms a part of those discussions.It adds: "There is sometimes a misconception that cost reductions will have a detrimental impact on quality and safety, but we know that healthcare productivity actually increases when resources are effectively used to deliver high-quality care, which is ultimately better for our patients."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Western Telegraph
23 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Thousands gather for anti-austerity demonstration in London
Campaign group The People's Assembly said it expected trade unionists, campaigners and activists to attend the event in central London on Saturday. MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott are among those expected to give speeches at a rally in Whitehall. The organisers accused the Government of making spending cuts that target the poorest in society. Representatives from the National Education Union, Revolutionary Communist Party, Green Party and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union could all be seen at the march's start point in Portland Place. The large crowd then set off towards Whitehall shortly before 1pm. Many of the protesters were holding placards that read 'Tax the rich, stop the cuts – welfare not warfare'. Other signs being held aloft said 'Nurses not nukes' and 'Cut war, not welfare'. A People's Assembly spokesperson said: 'The adherence to 'fiscal rules' traps us in a public service funding crisis, increasing poverty, worsening mental health and freezing public sector pay. Thousands of people were taking part in the march (Lucy North/PA) 'Scrapping winter fuel payments, keeping the Tory two-child benefit cap, abandoning Waspi women, cutting £5 billion of welfare by limiting Pip and universal credit eligibility, and slashing UK foreign aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP, while increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, are presented as 'tough choices'. 'Real tough choices would be for a Labour government to tax the rich and their hidden wealth, to fund public services, fair pay, investment in communities and the NHS.' The People's Assembly said it is bringing together trade unionists, health, disability, housing, and welfare campaigners with community organisations under the slogan: No to Austerity2.0. There will be also be speeches from trade union leaders, disability rights activists, anti-poverty campaigners and groups calling for more investment in the NHS and other public services. The spokesperson added: 'We face a growing threat from the far right, fuelled by racism, division and failed politics. We need to see people's lives improve, we need to see the vulnerable cared for and an end to child poverty. 'On June 7, we march for education, for our NHS, for welfare, for refugees, against hate, and for a society in which our children can flourish.'
Rhyl Journal
30 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Thousands gather for anti-austerity demonstration in London
Campaign group The People's Assembly said it expected trade unionists, campaigners and activists to attend the event in central London on Saturday. MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott are among those expected to give speeches at a rally in Whitehall. The organisers accused the Government of making spending cuts that target the poorest in society. Representatives from the National Education Union, Revolutionary Communist Party, Green Party and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union could all be seen at the march's start point in Portland Place. The large crowd then set off towards Whitehall shortly before 1pm. Many of the protesters were holding placards that read 'Tax the rich, stop the cuts – welfare not warfare'. Other signs being held aloft said 'Nurses not nukes' and 'Cut war, not welfare'. A People's Assembly spokesperson said: 'The adherence to 'fiscal rules' traps us in a public service funding crisis, increasing poverty, worsening mental health and freezing public sector pay. 'Scrapping winter fuel payments, keeping the Tory two-child benefit cap, abandoning Waspi women, cutting £5 billion of welfare by limiting Pip and universal credit eligibility, and slashing UK foreign aid from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP, while increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, are presented as 'tough choices'. 'Real tough choices would be for a Labour government to tax the rich and their hidden wealth, to fund public services, fair pay, investment in communities and the NHS.' The People's Assembly said it is bringing together trade unionists, health, disability, housing, and welfare campaigners with community organisations under the slogan: No to Austerity2.0. There will be also be speeches from trade union leaders, disability rights activists, anti-poverty campaigners and groups calling for more investment in the NHS and other public services. The spokesperson added: 'We face a growing threat from the far right, fuelled by racism, division and failed politics. We need to see people's lives improve, we need to see the vulnerable cared for and an end to child poverty. 'On June 7, we march for education, for our NHS, for welfare, for refugees, against hate, and for a society in which our children can flourish.'
South Wales Guardian
33 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
NHS app to become default source for appointments, screenings and test results
Millions more people will receive personal health information directly to their smartphones within the next three years in a move that is expected to save the health service £200 million, the Department of Health and Social Care said. It will also avoid the need for at least 50 million NHS letters being sent by post each year, with the Health Secretary likening the shift from analogue to digital to 'online banking or ordering a takeaway'. The £50 million investment will see 270 million messages sent through the NHS app this year, an increase of 70 million on the previous financial year. Push notifications will provide appointment reminders to patients to try to reduce the risk of no attendance, with around eight million missed appointments in elective care missed in 2023/24. 📱 Do you have your NHS App notifications on? 📩 To help patients, over 160 million messages were sent via the NHS App in the last year. ✅ Turn notifications on to get the most out of your NHS App. Learn more: — Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) June 7, 2025 More than 11 million people in the UK currently log into the NHS app every month, while almost 20 million are opted in to receive healthcare messages from the app. Where app messaging is not available, particularly for elderly patients without smartphones, communications will be sent via text message and then by letter as a last resort and phone lines will be freed up. It is hoped the changes will give patients better access to manage their healthcare journey and make informed decisions about their care. NHS app services, which were launched in December 2018, are now used in 87% of hospitals across England. Last month, NHS England announced millions of patients would be able to get 'Amazon-style' tracking updates on their prescriptions through the app, to check if their medicines are ready to collect or have been despatched for delivery. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: 'People are living increasingly busy lives and want to access information about their health at the touch of a button, rather than having to wait weeks for letters that often arrive too late. 'This Government is bringing our analogue health service into the digital age, so that being a patient in the NHS is as convenient as online banking or ordering a takeaway. 'The NHS still spends hundreds of millions of pounds on stamps, printing, and envelopes. By modernising the health service, we can free up huge amounts of funding to reinvest in the front line. 'Through the investment and reform in our Plan for Change, we will make the NHS App the front door to the health service and put power in the hands of patients.' Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patient's Association, said: 'This major upgrade to the NHS App marks a significant step in modernising how patients receive information, from test results to screening invitations. 'This was a recommendation from our Digital Coalition and realises changes that patients have asked for. 'We welcome this investment and the ambition behind it. Success for any digital innovation will be the implementation of the Digital Inclusion Plan and working directly with patients and communities.'
