APSCo sets out lobbying priorities for new Clinical and Healthcare Group

The trade body representing the professional recruitment industry has set out the top lobbying priorities for its new Clinical and Healthcare Sector Group.

The Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) set up the new Group earlier this month in response to member demand as challenges intensify across the health and care staffing sector.

It said existing complex compliance requirements and staff shortages will be compounded next month when NHS staff will be required to be double vaccinated.

CEO Ann Swain said: ‘Clinical and healthcare recruiters are facing an uphill battle. On the one hand they are increasingly having to navigate the varied and complex requirements of UK clinical frameworks – often at their own expense – while on the other they are facing a critical skills shortage that is only being exacerbated by the changing compliance landscape.’

The Group said it would use its lobbying powers to emphasise the value of recruitment firms to the healthcare sector and articulate the costs of a compliant supply chain. It will also highlight the value of the supply chain to the flexible labour market and push for further standardisation and clarity in standards across both public and private healthcare.

In addition, the Group plans to participate in consultations on healthcare reforms, including the government’s Health and Care Bill and large-scale structural re-organisation of the NHS.

‘As the trade body for professional staffing companies we will use our lobbying powers to drive a fair and appropriate legislative landscape that truly utilises the value of staffing firms and supports already over-burdened recruitment businesses,’ said Swain. ‘Our lobbying activity will be supplemented with the development of a Compliance+ healthcare best practice standard which would be independently audited and would provide our members with a recognised compliance quality assurance stamp.’