NHS overcharged

I OWNED and managed a nursing agency between 1992 and 2006. To be put on the NhS approved list, I had to agree to salary levels and

the commission I could charge. It was a lower rate for private hospitals because I had to compete with other agencies, but this was not necessary when dealing with the NhS.

The nurses I supplied were staff at the same hospital. Could the NhS have given them overtime instead of using an agency? No, because box-ticking and budgets didn’t allow common sense.

Agencies aren’t ripping off the NhS, it’s trusts that are mismanaged. They should be disbanded so we can return to a single NhS. RAY McKERRON, Coopersale, Essex.