Health Minister meets NHS Professionals leaders at Oxford Trust
and Yvonne Christley, Chief Nursing Officer, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)
Health Minister Karin Smyth held meetings with the NHS Professionals (NHSP) Chair and Chief Executive at an Oxford NHS Trust to discuss how NHSP can continue to support a reduction in agency spend, an upscale in their National Bank service and the key role of technology in supporting sustainable staffing in the NHS.
NHSP Chair Dr Helen Phillips and Chief Executive Nicola McQueen were joined by Simon Crowther, Deputy Chief Executive at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH), Yvonne Christley, Chief Nursing Officer at OUH and Julian Emms, Chief Executive Officer at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BHT) to welcome the Minister of State for Health to the John Radcliffe hospital. Later on in the day, the Minister also visited the Warneford Hospital, which is part of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.
Minster Smyth, who has responsibility for Secondary Care at the Department for Health and Social Care, heard how the NHSP’s National Bank service can benefit the NHS as part of a scaled-up operation. Both the Chair and CEO discussed how NHSP already helps save money for NHS Trusts by eliminating agency use through effective migration strategies and its award-winning managed service offering.
The Minister also spoke to NHSP Bank Members on shift, and to others who have been through the Healthcare Support Worker Development programme, where she found out first-hand how they came to work for the NHS, and how NHSP has supported their healthcare careers through the programme.
NHSP Chair, Dr Helen Phillips, said:
"It was a pleasure to welcome Minister Smyth to our NHS client sites in Oxford and a great opportunity for her to learn more about how NHS Professionals is providing workforce solutions to the NHS, through the thousands of Bank Members we supply every day, all supporting patient care.
“We will continue to work closely with our colleagues in client Trusts and in the Department for Health and Social Care, to help deliver the government's forthcoming 10 Year Plan, and. crucially, reduce agency spend across the country."
On her visit to the Warneford Hospital, in the afternoon, the Minister met Dr Rob Bale, Interim Chief Operating Officer, Britta Klinck, Chief Nursing Officer and Charmaine De Souza, Chief People Officer.
NHSP Chief Executive, Nicola McQueen, said:
"I was delighted to be able to host Minister Smyth, in partnership with our NHS customers and Bank Members from across Oxford and the wider region.
“The Minister was engaged and interested in the staffing services we provide for the NHS, including our agency migration product, National Bank, which is helping to deliver even more workforce efficiencies across the system.
“I would like to thank the Minister for taking the time to meet with us, as well as express my gratitude to representatives from our client Trusts in the Oxford area, who showcased the positive impact our partnership is having in the NHS.
“I also want to share my appreciation to our NHSP Bank Members, both on shift and from our Healthcare Support Worker Development programme, who took the time to meet the Minister and explain the work they do and why the chose to work flexibly through NHS Professionals."
Also attending on the day were Julian Emms, CEO of Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Karla Boddy, NHSP's Chief Customer Officer and Rachel Adams, OUH's Head Nurse for Workforce, as well as colleagues from across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB.
You can see a video of the visit, shared by the Department of Health and Social Care, by visiting our social media channels on LinkedIn and X.