FOI/25/080

Request

Please find below a list of questions regarding your trust's use of agencies, recruitment practices, current and future hiring, recruitment efficiency and challenges, benefits and support, and visa and immigration processes. We would greatly appreciate it if you could provide your responses within the statutory 20 working days.

1.     Use of Agencies

·       Does the trust use agencies to support with permanent/international hires?
        Yes CLCH does use agencies for international hires

·       Which agencies do you work with for international recruitment?
        Drake Medox, CapitalNurse consortium - 360 Medicare, HCRG, My Healthcare, MSI, Medacs & Apollo Education Ltd

·       Which types of hires do you regularly hire through these partners? (doctors, dentists, nurses, AHP, Non-medical)
        Nurses only

·       Please provide a breakdown of how many hires you made through these sources in the last 12 months. (doctors, dentists, nurses, AHP,
         Non-medical)
         Nurses 166, AHP 19

·       Please provide details about the fees paid to your agency partners, including the lowest fee, highest fee, and average fee. (over the last
        12 months)

Agency Partners	Cost
Drake Medox	303,206.31
Medacs Healthcare	238,418.73
NHS Professionals Ltd	30,930.23
Hcl Permanent Ltd	30,719.40
MSI Recruitment	10,880.00
Neu Professionals Ltd	8,939.25
MMA Healthcare Ltd	4,513.18
	627,607.10

 

·       What was the total spend on permanent international hires over the last 12 months?
        The international cost for CLCH staff only (total non-pay and pay cost) excluding NHS E funded is £1,659,775
 

2. Recruitment Practices and Processes

·       Do you do any direct internal international recruitment?
        N/A CLCH does not hold any direct international recruitment.

·       If yes, what processes does the trust use to find and hire?
        N/A

·       If yes, can you provide an example of the last time you did this, the number of hires you made, and how much it cost you?
        N/A

·       If yes, which countries did you target?
        N/A

·       If yes, what were the challenges of the experience?
        N/A

·       How do you assess the qualifications and credentials of international candidates?
         N/A

·       Do you have a minimum requirement for experience for international hires? (doctors, dentists, nurses, AHP, Non-medical)
        N/A
 

3. Current and Future Hiring

·       Do you intend to continue to hire foreign-trained medical professionals?
       Yes just for Nurses

·       What percentage of your staff are currently foreign-trained?
         It is not possible to provide this level of detail due to the diversity of the workforce with staff recruited through our IR programme
         and staff recruited within the UK who have been foreign trained.

·       Would the trust benefit from an international agency with lower fees?
        Not at present

·       Does the trust have enough of a budget to hire all the staff they need?
        Yes

·       Do you have a specific budget for international recruitment? If so, how much?
        £728,427           

·       What is a breakdown of the open vacancies the trust currently has? (doctors, dentists, nurses, AHP, Non-medical)
         Figures below is for Nurses only as the IR campaign is for nurses.

        Vacancy rate for Nurses - 12.6%  
        FTE Vacant Position for Nurses– 266.0

·       Would the trust hire internationally for these vacancies?
        CLCH would hire internationally for nurses only
 

·       Does the trust believe the number of vacancies will increase in the coming years?
        CLCH is not anticipating an increase in the number of vacancies in the coming years
 

·       Do you have any plans to support this?
        Nonapplicable see comment above
 

4. Recruitment Efficiency and Challenges

·       What is the average time to hire for international positions?
        Weeks

·       What are the main challenges your trust faces in recruiting international staff?
        Adjusting to NHS and UK Nursing standards

·       What support services do you provide to international staff to help them integrate into the UK and the NHS?
        Pastoral support, Comprehensive Induction, Buddy support. This can include language training, cultural orientation, and professional
        development.

·       What retention strategies does your trust employ for international staff?
        Career conversations, Pastoral support, Quarterly meetings
 

·       How do you measure the success of your international recruitment efforts? CLCH measures the success by focusing on Retention rate and
         reduction in vacancy rate and staff survey of experience.
 

·       Do you collaborate with any educational institutions or professional bodies to support international recruitment?
        CLCH does not collaborate with any educational institutions or professional bodies to support international recruitment.
 

·       What percentage of your total recruitment budget is allocated to international hiring?
        We have a separate budget for the IR campaign.
 

·       Have you implemented any digital tools or platforms to assist with international recruitment? If so, which ones?
        CLCH has not implemented any digital tools or platforms to assist with international recruitment
 

·       Are there any upcoming changes in your international recruitment strategy or policies?
        CLCH is not expecting to make any changes to the international recruitment strategy or policies
 

5. Benefits and Support

·       What benefits do you offer international staff? (including but not limited to: free flights, initial accommodation, visa sponsorship, onboarding programs,
         test or qualification fees)
        flights, initial accommodation, visa sponsorship, starter packs, travel fee, reimbursement of Exam/test fees, OSCE fee
 

·       Who deals primarily with international hires? (person & department)
        Zoe Rothwell International Recruitment Project Lead
 

6. Visa and Immigration

·       What types of visas does the trust sponsor for international hires?
        Health and Care Visa
 

·       What is the average time taken to process visa applications for international recruits?
        4-6 weeks
 

·       Are there any specific challenges the trust faces in securing visas for international staff?
       None faced so far.
 

·       Does the trust provide any assistance or support for international hires
        during the visa application process?
        CLCH provides pastoral support.
 

·       What percentage of international hires face visa rejections or delays, and how does the trust manage these situations?
         CLCH has not experienced any issues with Visa rejections.