NI health trusts accelerate drive to cut agency staff use

Northern Ireland’s health and social care trusts are aiming to accelerate plans to tackle the “unsustainable” use of agency staff.

HSC chief executives will introduce new measures from 2026 to further support the agency reduction programme, aiming to strengthen continuity of care, support permanent staffing teams and enhance patient safety.

This next phase will see health trusts accelerate current plans to progressively eliminate reliance on agency staffing during 2026/27 and beyond, with the expectation that temporary staffing requirements will increasingly be met through substantive employment.

Speaking on behalf of Trust chief executives, Karen Hargan, from the Western Trust, said agency staff “have played an important role in helping the HSC maintain services, particularly at times of significant pressure”.

“There will continue to be circumstances where temporary staffing is needed, however, the current level of agency use is simply not sustainable, financially or from a workforce perspective,” she said.

“Stable, substantive teams provide greater continuity for patients, stronger working relationships and a better environment for our staff.

“We have already seen the benefits of the work undertaken across the HSC to reduce agency reliance, with use significantly reduced and, in some areas, eliminated altogether.

“This work builds on several years of progress across the HSC to strengthen controls on agency staffing, reduce off-contract usage and ensure that agency staff are used appropriately and consistently across the system.

“Our focus now is to go further by significantly reducing agency use and eliminating it wherever safe and sustainable alternatives can be put in place, recognising that some workforce groups and specialties face more complex staffing challenges than others.

“As chief executives, we have taken the decision to accelerate this work because we need to make the best possible use of every pound available to us and protect the resources that support frontline services.

“This is about more than reducing expenditure.

“It is about building a stronger, more stable and sustainable HSC workforce for the long term, while continuing to provide safe, high-quality care for our patients.”

Trusts are aiming to stabilise the workforce through recruitment, retention and workforce planning initiatives and strengthening internal staff bank arrangements.