Spotlight on: our Temporary Staffing team
Our Temporary Staffing team looks after more than 7,300 bank and agency colleagues who fill a variety of roles across our hospital.
“We’re a large, multi-cultural, team and we’re split between recruitment and the booking desk,” said Adeniyi Olaleye, Temporary Staffing team and Grow the Bank Manager.
“We help with the registration of new bank or agency colleagues or those who retired and are returning to practice.
“Recently our largest piece of work was the registration of all the colleagues who helped us for the successful Covid-19 vaccination programme in both the hospital and the community.
“Our Clinical Educators also check that colleagues’ clinical skills are up to date. Our work is very similar to that of our HR Recruitment colleagues, but sometimes turnaround for bank and agency staff can be faster than for a substantive post.
“They used to be required only for specific projects but, especially during the many Covid-19 waves, temporary staff have stepped in to work regular shifts on wards.”
The highest number of temporary staff are Nurses and Midwives (2,800) and HCAs (2,600).
“The fact that everything is done online helps a lot: colleagues can easily check, book and cancel shifts and colleagues who are on our Bank are given priority,” said Adeniyi.
“But we’re not just an office where people book themselves for work and then disappear: we offer support and pastoral care.
“If we know somebody is going through a difficult time, we try to help them and try to accommodate their needs in terms of shifts.
“Bank and agency colleagues are not just numbers – they’re a vital part of our team and deserve to be treated like anybody else.
“We also signpost colleagues to full time employment opportunities within the Trust and train Health Care Assistants. They can obtain a care certificate through us that they can also use outside the hospital in other healthcare settings.”