Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to introduce caps on agency usage in NHS-commissioned services.

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health introduced caps on agency spending in National Health Service trusts in November 2015 that were specifically designed to cap the amount spent on agency staff in NHS hospitals, where most NHS-commissioned care is undertaken. As a result in 2016/17 the NHS saved £700 million.

NHS Improvement is taking forward a comprehensive plan for 2017/18 to deliver more savings focusing on improving the use of collaborative staff banks and improving flexible working options for substantive staff; targeted action on medical locum spending including hands-on support to highest spenders; increased compliance with agency rules particularly stamping out off-framework use; increased and improved data collection.