Ministers said spending for NHS agents in England fell nearly £1 billion in the last fiscal year after Wes Streeting pledged to cut agency payments by 30%.

According to the Ministry of Health and Social Care, the trust fund's total to agents during 2024-25 is £1 billion lower than the previous year.

The Health Minister said the gap in lack of permanent staffing said in a speech at the NHS provider meeting in November that the more expensive agencies provided alternatives filled the gap totaling about £3 billion.

According to proposals outlined at the time but not yet enacted, street recommendations could completely prohibit the use of agents to engage in lower-level jobs, such as health care assistants and domestic support staff.

This may also involve preventing NHS employees from resigning and then signing with the agency immediately so they can do the same job with a higher salary, as well as a higher overall cost to the NHS.

In addition to hiring staff members of agents, which means paying doctors a shift of thousands of pounds, NHS Trusts also uses so-called "bank" employees (NHS) to perform additional shifts, usually operated through trust funds.

The Guardian reported in January 2024 that hospital and GP surgery for agency staff combined to £4.6 billion per year, with another £5.8 billion spent on bank shifts.

As part of agency spending, the soon-to-be-destroyed NHS England CEO Street and James Mackey wrote to all NHS providers and Integrated Care Committee executives to clarify that everyone should reduce 30% and will monitor their progress.

“If we do not think that autumn is making enough progress, we will consider what further legislative steps should be taken to ensure that the use of the agents will end,” they wrote.

The letter also said that hospital owners should raise tax rates on bank shifts’ salaries “are competitive but not more than the salary the institutions pay directly to workers.” The trust has been ordered to reduce bank use by at least 10%.

Elizabeth O'Mahony, Chief Financial Officer of NHS England, said: "The NHS is fully committed to ensuring that every cent of taxpayer money is used wisely to make the benefit of patients and the quality of care they receive.

“Over the past year, our reform to reduce agency spending will increase fees by nearly £1bn will increase frontline services and help cut the waiting list while ensuring fairness for our permanent staff.”