Agency profits growing due to ‘acute shortage of staff’

Two companies supplying staff to the NHS saw large growth in income and profits last year, annual accounts reveal.

Independent Clinical Services, owned by a Canadian private equity firm, saw a growth in turnover of more than 40%, with income growing from £273m to £399m, year on year.

A smaller company specialising in recruiting overseas healthcare staff to the UK also saw a bumper year, according to data released last month.

Your World Recruitment Ltd’s income increased by nearly a third, going from £50.5m to £66.8m (up 32%), with a similar rise in profits.

The company’s strategic report said: “Demand for agency staff and healthcare services in the first half of 2023 has remained strong principally due to staff shortages in the NHS and high waiting lists.

“The board expects the challenging market conditions to continue for the remainder of 2023, although demand is expected to remain due to an acute shortage of healthcare workers in the UK and worldwide.” The NHS has been pushing hard for increased overseas recruitment in recent years, to fill domestic gaps."

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Source: HSJ, 10 October 2023