We come at a cost, but we have so much to offer

My name is Iola, I’m a mum to my young son, an Army wife and an adult nurse. I was previously a band 6 nurse working in a large trauma centre and for the last two-and-a-half years I’ve been working full-time as an agency nurse. 

With 40,000 nursing vacancies across the NHS in England, agency nurses help to plug the gap of staff shortages, but with a £3.2bn spend on agency nursing across the service between 2020 and 2022, it can come with a steep price tag.

My choice to work full-time as an agency nurse is due to my need for flexibility around childcare. While working across different areas, I’ve come across the usual statements of how unfair it is that we're paid more.

Yes, my pay will appear to be higher than an average NHS nurse but if you factor into the equation that we don't get sick pay or holiday pay, we don't have the same pension opportunities, we pay for training courses and there's no guarantee that shifts will be available when we're available, it actually doesn't leave me that much better off.

Passionate

I am passionate about being a nurse and feel we need to value our agency nurse colleagues. Yes, we come at a cost, but we have so much to offer and our presence means that an area or service can provide more adequate and safe care.

We come with a wide breadth of experience and knowledge, and we are flexible and used to working in unknown environments. I am fortunate to currently work in area as an agency nurse where I feel valued, supported and part of the team but, sadly, that is not always the case. 

The NHS dependence on agency staff is not something that can or will be resolved in the short-term future. I ask only that next time you work with an agency nurse, you think about what added value they could bring to your team and that we are all supporting the common nursing goal to provide good, safe and effective patient care.

Find out more

Read our advice guide on agency working, including information about employment status and rights.