Hospital trust to cut agency spend by 'at least' 30%

A hospital trust is planning on cutting its spend on agency staff by "at least" 30% as part of a bid to reduce costs.

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB) has outlined a series of measures in a board meeting report to save £67m before the end of March 2026.

The union Unison said it would work with the trust to ensure any changes were "fair" as well as "safe" for the public and staff.

A UHDB report says: "Like all NHS trusts, we have been asked to reduce our costs, and we recognise the national drive to ensure the NHS is as efficient and good value for money for the taxpayer as possible."

In March, Ian Litchfield, interim chair of UHDB, said the 2025/26 financial year would be the most "difficult" period the trust had ever faced.

In the 2024/25 period, the trust saved £62.7 million, but the report prepared by UHDB said it would need to "go further" this year.

Measures being undertaken by UHDB include reducing spend on bank costs by 10%, cutting agency spend by "at least" 30% as well as reducing corporate costs by £3.3m.

Gareth Eales, Unison East Midlands head of health, said UHDB, like many NHS trusts, was facing "enormous" financial pressures after years of "underinvestment".

Mr Eales added: "High agency costs are a symptom of a deeper staffing crisis. The real solution lies in long-term investment to recruit, train and retain NHS staff, not short-term cuts that risk making the situation worse.

"The priority must be protecting the NHS workforce and the vital services local people depend on."

The report from UHDB says there is a "real focus" on the country's finances, and it is "understandable and right" that the NHS forms a part of those discussions.

It adds: "There is sometimes a misconception that cost reductions will have a detrimental impact on quality and safety, but we know that healthcare productivity actually increases when resources are effectively used to deliver high-quality care, which is ultimately better for our patients."

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