A RECRUITMENT drive has been launched in a bid to stop NHS bosses spending millions of pounds on temporary workers.

Sussex Partnership NHS Trust wants to take on 150 nurses in a move to drive down costs.

The trust, which provides mental health and learning disability services across Sussex, has spent £6.4 million on nurses supplied by agencies to cover sickness or absences.

Of this, £2.3 million is the cost of the fee to the agency.

Nationally it is estimated the NHS as a whole spends more than £250 million a month on agency staffing.

The trust provides services for people of all ages in Sussex and for children in Hampshire and Kent.

It has vacancies for qualified, newly qualified and experienced nurses.

The trust has brought in some extra incentives to attract and keep the right staff. These include extra money for nurses joining hard-to-recruit areas such as Bognor or Littlehampton.

It is hoped potential staff in Crawley, who often choose to work in London where the level of pay is higher, will also come forward.

The trust is also offering to pay nurses’ first three months’ rent in a new place.

In a bid to attract staff to less popular services, such as high-pressure secure recovery units, a personal development package has been created which includes mentoring and fast-track promotion opportunities.

Diane Hull, trust director of nursing and patient experience, said: “There are some excellent agency staff out there but we know care is better when it is done by staff who know the patients, know the staff and understand the organisation.

“This isn’t about money. It’s about being sure we are giving patients the very best care. We can’t do that if we are wasting money by spending millions of pounds on agency fees alone.”