February 2007 - Spiralling temp agency fees - Trusts need Help!
A growing number of NHS Trusts alarmed by rising agency fees are calling in profit recovery specialists to monitor contracts and recover overpaid fees according to Audit Partnership Ltd, the biggest such company active in the healthcare field.
‘Agency contracts might be negotiated well, but invoices are signed off by staff not conversant with the terms agreed’ said Jenny Seidel, Public Service Development Director for Leeds based APL: ‘Trusts have been very interested in the recoveries we might be able to make on such contracts and across the board through our specialist primary and secondary auditing experience within the NHS. They’re even more interested when they realise that our fees come from the recoveries made, so we definitely about adding value and not cost’.
As someone who worked within the public sector for several years before joining APL, Jenny believes she has an insider’s view of the problems and the solutions. ‘Most Trusts also have an extensive property portfolio and that is an additional area where recoveries can be made. As a group we’ve recognised this and answered it with our own team of property audit specialists also ready to help Trusts. At a time when every Trust is under unprecedented pressure to achieve savings, we offer a service which can make a huge difference to balance sheets without any adverse effect on staff, patients or services’.