A NURSING agency which complies with nationally-recognised standards is lobbying its local MP over non-approved agencies securing high cost work in NHS hospitals and fears they are luring staff from their employers.

Heads of Twenty Four Seven Nursing, based on Ilkley's Grove Promenade, plans to meet Keighley MP Kris Hopkins this week amid concerns that agencies which conform to externally-tested frameworks are losing out.

Nursing agencies have come under fire nationally for the rising cost to the NHS while nursing staff shortages continue.

But 24/7 managing director and founder, Janet Smith, argues that agencies which meet the criteria of NHS and other official frameworks perform a valuable role in providing fully trained and checked temporary staff to wards.

And she says framework-compliant nursing agencies should not be face the same criticism as some non-framework staff suppliers, which charge the public sector much higher rates.

"Our concern is that other agencies give us a bad name," she said. "We've chosen to be a framework supplier because of the ethos about it, we don't want to rip the NHS off and we want to show that we supply quality staff."

Twenty Four Seven Nursing, established 15 years ago by Ms Smith, complies with frameworks set out by three executive bodies - two of which are run by NHS partnerships - for agencies which supply staff to NHS trusts.

It has about 700 staff on its books, provides temporary nursing staff in NHS general hospitals and mental health units all over the country, including health trusts in West Yorkshire.

The agency is regularly visited by external auditors, who examine all aspects of the business, including training records of individual staff selected at random.

The framework-compliant agencies are restricted in what they can charge NHS trusts, according to national guidelines and local health trust figures.

However, Ms Smith says NHS trusts frequently draft in non-framework agencies to make up for staff shortages.

As well as charging NHS trusts much higher sums, they frequently pay staff a much higher rate, and use this to recruit from other agencies and, Ms Smith, claims, even from NHS staff banks and the wider public sector.

Once established in their work for NHS trusts, the agencies are then increasingly called in.

Although non-framework agencies promote their own vigilant background checks and training regimes, Ms Smith points out they are not required to undergo the same intensive external checks as framework agencies.

She hopes Mr Hopkins will take the matter up with Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt.

Mr Hopkins told the Gazette: “I enjoyed my visit 24/7 in Ilkley after I was first elected to Parliament and look forward to our meeting on Friday. The agency is rightly highly regarded in its field and appreciates what the Government is seeking to do in achieving the best possible vale for taxpayers’ money whilst ensuring our NHS remains the finest health service in the world. As the local MP, I am obviously keen to support Janet Smith and her team in any way I can.”