Reducing NHS
Agency Spend
Reducing NHS
Agency Spend
The challenge
In the far west of the UK, Western Health and Social Care Trust faced a recruitment crisis echoing across the NHS—legacy recruitment systems, long delays, growing agency reliance, and mounting frustration from managers and HR teams alike.
But where others struggled, this Trust chose to lead.
With just a lean internal HR team, they set out to do what many believed impossible: reduce their agency and medical locum spend, streamline recruitment, and rebuild internal confidence—without outsourcing control.
The partnership
What followed was a bold partnership with Healthdaq, not to replace their workforce strategy, but to supercharge it. Together, they co-designed a flexible, high-speed operating model that empowered their internal resourcing team and delivered real, measurable results.
The outcome?
Thousands of hires.
Millions in projected savings.
A complete reversal in vacancy rates.
And—for the first time in over a decade—no agency staff on duty at Christmas.
This is more than a case study. It’s proof that with the right model, any health and social care provider including the NHS and councils can win its own recruitment battles—and win big.
Download the full success story and see how they did it.
Download success story
Healthdaq was awarded HealthInvestor Recruitment Firm of the Year 2025 for this initiative and the Western Trust was shortlisted for the HPMA Recruitment Team of the Year 2024 and Staffing Solution of the Year for the HSJ Partnership Awards 2025.
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