§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that accurate comparisons can be made of the costs of NHS Professionals and commercial nurses' agencies. [41727]
§ Mr. HuttonAgency framework agreements are currently being put in place with commercial agencies providing temporary staff to the national health service.
These will clearly set out each agency's charging rates, and allow cost comparisons with NHS professionals, who charge a standard management fee of 7 per cent. to cover operational costs.