The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has ordered a clampdown on staffing agencies charging the NHS extortionate rates as part of ensuring that NHS funding is always spent in a way that best helps patients. The move has been welcomed by Nuneaton’s MP, Marcus Jones.

The town’s MP was contacted by a number of local people during the recent General Election campaign about the cost of agency staff.

The Government has announced a package of tough new financial controls to cut down on waste in the NHS. Currently, staffing agencies are charging excessive fees which are having a detrimental impact on hospital budgets.

Commenting, Marcus said: “We know that you can only have a strong NHS if you have a strong economy and strong public finances. Because of our long-term economic plan, the Government has been able to invest the extra £8 billion by 2020 that the NHS’s Simon Stevens said it needed.

“We need to ensure that every penny of that goes on getting patients the best possible treatments, free at the point of use, in our NHS.”