The medical staffing specialists, A24 Group, have issued a guide on implementing the AWR (Agency Workers Regulations) for medical staff working on a temporary basis with the group’s nursing and locum agencies in the UK. For assignments after October 1st 2011 agency workers are entitled to the same basic working and employment conditions as directly employed staff with a comparable grade or role in the same organisation.

Some of these rights, referred to as ‘day one rights’, are immediate and are the responsibility of the hirer of agency staff. These rights cover access to ‘collective facilities and amenities’ and includes canteen, childcare and transport services, as well as a workplace crèche, washroom facilities, food and drinks machines and car parking.

Rights of access also include information on relevant internal vacancies so that qualifying agency workers have the same opportunity to apply as current employees. Staff from agencies should therefore be informed where and how to access details of all vacant positions. Agency staff who are in any doubt should consult the guidance notes or speak to A24 Group staffing agencies, says Penny Streeter OBE, managing director of A24 Group.

The agency group is advising temporary staff – and also working with healthcare service providers on how to manage any impact of the AWD legislation on their organisations, including hospitals, care homes, GP surgeries and other users of A24 Group’s locum doctors, agency nurses, AHPs and HCA healthcare assistant staff. Further information is at Agency Workers Regulations.

Longer term, the key principle in complying with the regulations, says Penny Streeter, is to ensure that all qualifying agency workers have the same employment conditions as directly employed full-time staff. After a qualifying period, agency workers are entitled to equal pay and employment conditions such as anti-social hour uplifts and paid holidays in excess of the current statutory minimum.

A24 Group is now issuing revised terms of business and advising clients on how to ensure minimal disruption and manage the transition to the new legislation. Employers of medical staff and agency workers with A24 Group can contact the group for further details.

For further information:

Email:  awr@a24group.com

Tel:  0871 873 3309

Web:  www.a24group.com

Address:-
Group House
92 – 96 Lind Road
Sutton
Surrey, SM1 4PL
United Kingdom

Locum doctor jobs are more in demand than ever before as NHS and private sector budgets tighten, particularly for doctors who want to work at a time and location of their choice, says locum agency Ambition 24Locums.

Working through one of the leading locum agencies still offers great opportunities for qualified doctors who want extra shifts and pay or to choose to work part-time for their work-life balance. Rates are up to £120 per hour (consultant, Bank Holiday rate) at Ambition 24Locums. The agency offers both NHS and private sector vacancies, and is an accredited ‘Buying Solutions’ supplier.

Ambition 24Locums offers this advice to GP and hospital locums in all specialisations:-

1) Register with more than one locum agency: to increase your opportunities for work, you can start the process of locum registration through Ambition and register just once to work for other selected agencies

2) At registration, ensure you provide all the information required, to complete the process as soon as possible: Ambition meets with all candidates locally for face-to-face interviews and to help them complete the registration process. Initial registration should be started on-line through the Ambition 24Locums web site. Documents required include: CRB certification; completion of a detailed agency application form; recent job references relevant to experience and proof of qualifications.

3) Keep your registrations current: once you have registered with the locum agencies, ensure that your annual certifications are up to date – whether for training, CRB or other requirements. Ambition can provide details of a range of on-line and classroom-based locum training courses required for work under the NHS Buying Solutions framework, at prices from £10.00 on-line

4) Are you a specialist? In addition to the general requirements for GP and hospital doctors, there is a continuing need for a range of specialisations: Accident & Emergency, Anaesthetics, Dental, General Medicine Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Pathology, Psychiatry, Radiology, and Surgical staff. Current certificates are essential as proof of your speciality, so Ambition can match your qualifications with relevant work. Also, if you do additional specialist training on an annual basis in your permanent job, then please inform the agency.

5) Let the agency know when you are free to work: Ambition’s on-line web diary enables medical staff to confirm when they are available. It’s worth updating the diary at least weekly. Be flexible: if Ambition knows that you will accept work at short notice – or that you will work some evenings, weekends or Bank Holidays – you are more likely to receive more, higher-paying shifts

6) Stay in touch: find out which Ambition consultants deal with the location where you want to work. It’s helpful to e-mail the names of the towns and hospitals so that Ambition’s staff can help – and when they get to know you and the type of work you want, it will increase work opportunities

7) Social Media: it’s worth registering for Ambition’s Facebook and Twitter pages so that you are up to date on the latest agency news and job opportunities

8) Feedback is always welcome. Let the agency know if there is anything with which you are unhappy or that could be done differently – or other issues you have in the workplace. Good locum agencies are grateful for feedback

9) Tell a friend: if you have friends who are interested in medical staffing work, then telling them about the agency is often helpful. Visit Ambition’s Facebook and click on ‘Like’ or email the web address: www.a24locum.co.uk

10) Consider your career: are you looking for specific types of work or experience? If you are, do discuss this with your Ambition consultant, as the agency may be able to help, if you meet the client requirements for relevant shifts

For further information contact us:-

Ambition 24Locums
Group House, 92 – 96 Lind Road
Sutton
Surrey
SM1 4PL

Tel: 0871 873 3300
Email: info@a24locums.co.uk

Visit our Facebook Page or follow us on Twitter

In July 2011 Mayfair Specialist Nurses is recruiting Cardiothoracic nurses. Amongst the leading UK nursing agencies, Mayfair specialises in a wide range of nurses jobs including ITU, HDU, CCU Coronary Care Unit/ Cardiac, Theatre, ODP, Paediatrics, PICU, SCBU, NICU, Renal/Dialysis, A&E, Acute Medical, Surgical, Midwives and Dental staff.

For further information please register your details on-line in the first instance at www.mayfair-nurses.com. You can also visit our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.

Mayfair runs a range of annual training courses for its registered agency nurses at prices from just £10.00 for on-line web learning. Nurses training includes: Basic Life Support, Manual Handling, Fire Safety, Health and Safety (1974 and 1999 Acts) including Risk Incident Reporting, COSHH, RIDDOR, Infection Control, Lone worker, Handling of Violence and Aggression, Food Safety, Information Governance, Data Protection & Caldicott and POVA.

Mayfair was formed in 1998 to engage Cardiothoracic and other specialist healthcare staff for their individual professional skills and experience. Mayfair specialises in understanding the specific staffing requirements of each healthcare service provider and then matching the brief from the available skills and knowledge of the medical staff who are registered with the UK nursing agencies in the group.

Service features for Cardiothoracic and other medical staff, says director Adam Streeter, include identifying the right assignment for the professional concerned to ensure work needs and choices are met consistently, in every placement. Professional and personal support is provided so that, as one of the leading UK nursing agencies, Mayfair can ensure each assignment is the right choice for the nurse and the client concerned.

Mayfair has Cardiothoracic nurses jobs in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland – including Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Coventry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester; Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Sunderland and Wakefield.

Register with Mayfair for all nursing agency jobs specialisations in addition to Cardiothoracic – the range includes ITU, HDU, CCU/Cardiac, Theatre, ODP, Paediatrics, PICU, SCBU, NICU, Renal/Dialysis, A&E, Acute Medical, Surgical, Midwives and Dental staff.

Now you can follow the medical staffing divisions of the A24 Group on Facebook:-

Locum Services has published its new pay rates for UK locum doctors, effective from November the 1st 2009. The agency has vacancies for locum doctors in a range of specialisations: accident & emergency, anaesthetics, cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, ENT & ophthalmology, GP general practice, haematology, neurology, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedics, pathology, paediatrics, psychiatry, radiology, rheumatology, and ultrasonography.

LSUK is a division of the A24 Group and is amongst the leading UK locum agencies for the recruitment and placement of doctors. Once registered medical staff have met the agencies’ compliance requirements, Locum Services of the UK provides locum doctors for temporary and longer term assignments in NHS Trusts, private hospitals, GP surgeries and with other healthcare service providers nationwide.

It’s a 24-7 service 365 days of the year. Doctors and healthcare providers working with LSUK can contact a member of the agency support team at any time of the day or night. As a member of the A24 Group,  locum agencies offer high quality compliance, supported by advanced ICT systems and specialist in-house teams with expertise in recruitment, compliance, management of staff and customer support services. Its ICT systems ensures a fast and accurate match of a candidate’s qualifications, professional experience and location with the needs of each healthcare provider who requires staff.

A24 Group Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe met the South Africa 2009 Homeless World Cup team, sponsored by Ambition 24hours, at Parliament in Cape Town to congratulate them on their excellent performance in the international tournament in Milan, Italy. The team came home with the Milan city cup.

News from the World Cup squad:-

Hi, my name is Gavin Lotz and I am the team manager for South Africa.  Football has always been one of my passions, and I’ve been working with the Homeless Soocer team since 2006, when the final was actually held in Cape Town.

I have one of the easiest roles really, I just have to make sure everything runs smoothly, and motivate the guys. I go to the training sessions and work with our coach to make sure they are fit and ready to win once they land in Milan.  I have to say I think we have a good chance – the lads are very enthusiastic and committed, and believe they can win.  That conviction gives them a lot of power.

This is the first trip out of Africa for me too.  I’ve been on a plane before, but I have to admit that even I am quite nervous about what I will find when we land in Italy.  Each team has been allocated a host or hostess, they will meet us at the airport, and until we land we don’t know where we are staying, where we are playing, or who we are drawn against.  We must just be ready to hit the ground running…

I am the vice principal of The Ark Christian School here, and two of the lads, Ephraim Maaman and Siphiwe Mayesela stay here with us.  They are both totally committed to this competition, and I have seen each member of the team develop in character and leadership skills since they have been playing soccer.  It’s a fantastic tool, it keeps them occupied, gets them off the streets, and gives them a chance in life.  It also gets them back into the community, gives them back their identity and their self esteem.

In my spare time I watch all sorts of sports, especially rugb,y football and athletics.  I’m a Manchester United fan, and my hero is Alex Ferguson, so if I can do a job that is even a fraction of that done by him I will be happy…

I would also like to thank all our supporters, everything you have given will be so appreciated.  We will do our best to make you proud.

For more information, visit

www.streetfootballworld.org/network/all-nwm/western-cape-street-soccer-league

www.homelessworldcup.org