Flexible expertise is needed to “power the NHS for another 75 years” says IPSE

IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) has today called for the government to urgently reconsider the vital role that specialist contractors and freelancers play in resourcing within the NHS.

Chief Executive, Derek Cribb, said: “As the NHS turns seventy-five it is important that we recognise the role that freelance specialists have played in ensuring services are delivered. The external expertise and additional capacity that freelancers bring ultimately help the organisation operate more efficiently.

“Unfortunately, in recent years, freelancers have found it increasingly difficult to access roles within the NHS. IR35 and other compliance burdens often act as a barrier to efficient workforce management and should be more properly considered by the NHS leadership.”

In 2017 the government changed the IR35 rules which resulted in NHS trusts, and other public sector bodies, facing huge potential tax liabilities when hiring external specialists. IPSE believes this has exacerbated staff shortages and resulted in longer waiting times for patients.

Cribb continued, “Working alongside permanent staff, freelancers help organisations to manage peaks and troughs in demand and improve the quality of service. The NHS is no different. The flexible workforce can help to power the NHS for another seventy-five years but we must remove barriers which prevent effective staffing.”