News

The Challenge

When TaskMaster first engaged with Green Fulfilment, the company faced the challenge of managing its workforce effectively to meet the demands of its growing fulfilment operations. With only 7 full-time permanent staff members, Green Fulfilment relied heavily on temporary labour, particularly for assembling bespoke kits for clients. The company previously engaged an IT company for their recruitment needs, resulting in a reactive and costly approach to staffing.

Our Approach

TaskMaster's dedicated team recognised the need for a strategic and proactive approach to support Green Fulfilment's workforce needs. We operated with a key focus on efficiency, cost-saving and encouraging staff retention. As such, TaskMaster's approach included:

Tailored Talent Acquisition Strategy and Employer Branding

TaskMaster worked closely with Green Fulfilment to enhance its employer brand and position the company as an attractive employer of choice. Through compelling messaging and branding initiatives, TaskMaster showcased Green Fulfilment's unique culture, values, and career opportunities to prospective candidates. 

TaskMaster then implemented rigorous selection processes to identify and attract exceptional talent forGreen Fulfilment. By focusing on finding candidates with the right skills and cultural fit, TaskMaster ensured a high-quality workforce that could contribute effectively to Green Fulfilment's success.

Comprehensive Onboarding Programme

TaskMaster developed a comprehensive onboarding programme designed to provide new hires with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to succeed at Green Fulfilment. By offering structured training and support from day one, TaskMaster ensured that new employees felt valued and equipped to excel in their roles.

What the client said:

"TaskMaster supports us no matter what our requirements are and the timescales we need them in. They are very proactive and always have a bank of people that can be here at the drop of a hat. For our business, this is imperative and at no time have we ever been let down. TaskMaster has delivered and then some!" Operations Director - Green Fulfilment

Career Development Support

TaskMaster provided ongoing career development support to encourage long-term careers at Green Fulfilment. By offering opportunities for growth, advancement, and skill development, TaskMaster helped employees see a clear path for progression within the company, fostering loyalty and commitment. For example, one particular employee who was placed by TaskMaster during the COVID-19 pandemic is now working as part of the IT team at Green Fulfilment, highlighting our commitment to building longstanding employee relationships within the company.

The results

TaskMaster's partnership with Green Fulfilment has delivered tangible results, driving efficiency, growth and cost savings for the company.

By providing a dedicated pool of skilled staff, TaskMaster helped Green Fulfilment minimise recruitment costs and reduce downtime, leading to significant cost savings. The tailored staffing solutions provided by TaskMaster also enabled Green Fulfilment to meet its fluctuating customer and workforce demands efficiently, ensuring smooth operations and timely fulfilment of client orders. TaskMaster's proactive approach to staff engagement and support has resulted in high employee satisfaction and retention rates. Temporary staff members are eager to return, contributing to a positive and motivated workforce. As Green Fulfilment now continues to grow, TaskMaster remains dedicated to providing innovative staffing solutions and driving mutual success.

The Challenge

Lookers Ford faced the inherent challenge of managing significant fluctuations in their need for van delivery drivers. The demand for drivers was closely tied to business levels, seasonal variations, and the necessity for holiday cover. This meant that they could require anywhere from 3 to 20 shifts per week, making it a complex task to maintain a consistent, scalable workforce that could scale up or down rapidly.

Our Approach

Taskmaster's approach to addressing Lookers Ford's unique staffing challenge was built on finding a flexible, reliable, and consistent pool of drivers. We recognised that a one-size-fits-all approach wouldn't work, and thus, we embarked on identifying a unique workforce solution. Our strategy included: We actively sought and registered a team of retired or semi-retired individuals who were known for their unwavering flexibility and willingness to accommodate shifting work schedules. These drivers came equipped with a level of availability and experience that perfectly aligned with Lookers Ford's needs. For them, working a few shifts a week was a bonus, but they understood that non-working weeks weren't an issue at all.

The Results

The results of our agile driver workforce solution were transformative. This strategy didn't just address their immediate need for flexibility and responsible staff; it forged a lasting relationship that has lasted for over a decade. The outcomes of this approach include a long-term partnership with ultimate flexibility. Lookers Ford now enjoys the ultimate and immediate solution to their fluctuating driver requirements. They have peace of mind, knowing that Taskmaster can flex and adapt to customer demands. Taskmaster has seamlessly integrated into Lookers Ford’s operations as a trusted and indispensable partner that delivers comprehensive cost savings. We are not just providing drivers; we are contributing to their long-term success by providing a workforce solution that is efficient and reliable.

Kim McCafferty - Business Development Manager

As the driving force behind the Glasgow Industrial Office and the new branch in Falkirk, Kim brings over a decade of dedication and leadership to TaskMaster Scotland. Since joining in 2014, Kim has overseen business development, sales, operations, training, fulfilment and delivery. With an unwavering commitment to growing the TM Scotland brand, she ensures that the team consistently delivers exceptional recruitment services - earning recognition as Scotland’s Best Recruitment Partner last year.

The Glasgow Team

Jasmine Yuen - Contract Servicing Consultant

The backbone of the Glasgow operation, Jasmine keeps everything running smoothly. From maintaining operations to ensuring every detail is just right, Jasmine is the glue that holds the team together. As Kim puts it, “We’d be lost without her!”

Connect with Jasmine here. 

Damian Farr - Recruitment Consultant

With over 20 years of experience in the industrial and driving sectors, Damian is a true expert in building solid partnerships with both clients and candidates. His client-focused approach and dedication make him a standout member of the team.

Connect with Damian here.

The Falkirk Team

Danielle Slade - Recruitment Consultant

Danielle thrives at the heart of operations, living onsite at the branch’s largest client. She handles resourcing, servicing and fulfilment with energy and enthusiasm, ensuring seamless delivery and a strong client connection.

Connect with Danielle here.

Meadow Hanely - Administration Assistant

Meadow wears many hats, from managing social media campaigns to payroll and compliance. As the team’s apprentice, Meadow brings fresh ideas and great pride to her work, ensuring every detail is handled with care.

Connect with Meadow here. 

In today’s uncertain economic climate and with a skills shortage impacting growth organisations need a workforce that can adapt to any challenge. But what does it take to build a resilient workforce that adapts to challenges and ensures your business remains agile? Here we look at the importance of flexibility, compliance and enhancing the candidate experience.

Why workforce agility matters in 2025

To put the current state of the job market into context we must examine the challenges employers face. These come in three main forms:

Business confidence – the British Chambers of Commerce noted in a recent report that business confidence has fallen to its lowest level since the fallout from the mini-budget in Autumn 2022. This, combined with deferred recruitment decisions may have impacted client and candidate confidence in all hiring markets across the world, resulting in a lowering of net fees during 2024.

Increased competition for temporary talent – according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) the number of job postings in the UK is back up to pre-pandemic levels with 1,415,574 jobs posted in December 2024. This indicates that there is competition for temporary talent across multiple sectors, providing opportunities for candidates seeking work.

Regulatory changes – the most significant change in employment legislation in 2025 is the Employment Rights Bill. This represents ‘the biggest upgrade in employment rights for a generation’ and will give workers protection from unfair dismissal, establish parental and bereavement leave from day one, end zero-hour contracts and ‘fire and rehire’, strengthen statutory sick pay and protection for pregnant women and new mothers, and establish flexible working as the norm, where practical.

Strategies for building a resilient workforce

Despite the many challenges employers face there are strategies that can help them to build a resilient workforce. These include:

Flexibility through temporary staffing – contingent labour can help businesses adapt to economic challenges and demand fluctuations. It enables businesses to adjust their workforce without a long-term commitment and remain agile. It offers the opportunity to access specialist skills on a short-term basis, filling expertise gaps during employee absences or special projects. It’s low-risk and offers continuity and, most importantly, temporary staffing can reduce costs associated with full-time employees, especially in light of the rise in Employers’ National Insurance Costs.

Investing in training and upskilling – another highly effective method of building resilience is to upskill your workforce through training and development. Now one of the most desirable workplace benefits for employees, training and development also offers the employer several vital advantages including higher retention rates, better talent attraction, an increase in employee morale and confidence, improved productivity and performance, higher levels of customer satisfaction and significant cost-savings.

Collaboration with recruitment experts – hiring the right talent for a vacant or new role can be time-consuming, expensive and stressful unless you’re an expert. The REC estimates that a bad hire can cost a business up to four times the employee’s annual salary in recruitment costs, onboarding and training, lost productivity, decreased morale (which in turn impacts staff turnover), and reputational damage. Specialists such as Taskmaster provide tailored staffing solutions to meet specific client needs, reducing not only costs but alleviating stress too. You can read how Taskmaster supported campus operations at the University of Huddersfield, managing mass bookings at short notice and handling difficult roles here.

Compliance as a cornerstone of workforce resilience

Every employer needs to understand the importance of legal and regulatory compliance in the workplace. There are so many areas of employment law, as well as regulatory compliance, that it can be difficult to adhere to all the new laws and regulations as they happen. In general, compliance covers three main areas: Data Privacy and Security, including GDPR, Employment legislation such as we mentioned above, and industry-specific rules and regulations. The consequence of not adhering to the law is the potential for heavy fines as well as reputational damage. Ultimately, unless you have access to a team of legal experts, it’s recommended that you let specialists deal with all aspects of this difficult subject. You can read about how Taskmaster supported the Harrogate Nightingale Hospital at a time of great uncertainty and with the strictest requirements for compliance here.

Enhancing the candidate experience

Creating a positive experience for candidates works on multiple levels, especially when you’re looking to recruit temporary staff. It will help you to attract more candidates, compete for the very best talent, improve your quality of hire and reduce your time-to-hire, increase your brand awareness, reduce turnover and increase retention, all of which makes employing a temporary workforce incredibly cost-effective.

To achieve the best possible candidate experience employers should use clear communication, streamline their onboarding processes and ask for regular feedback from their temporary employees to improve the process even further.

Taskmaster’s role in future-proofing workplaces

Taskmaster has been providing flexible and responsive workforce solutions to businesses in the private and public sectors for almost 30 years, and we fill more than 2,000 temporary roles each year for a variety of clients in the driving, industrial, facilities management, catering and estates, commercial, utilities and waste sectors.

Because of our extensive experience, we have the expertise to handle every eventuality when it comes to temporary workforce challenges, helping our clients achieve their commercial goals as well as maximise value.

We’re also proud of our track record of providing workforce solutions, such as our partnership with Polypipe, with whom we’ve partnered for over 17 years. You can read how we supported the company here.

Times are hard for employers at the moment, and building a workforce that can adapt to any challenge should be high on every organisation’s list. Temporary workforce solutions enable employers to be resilient, flexible and agile – all vital traits in uncertain times. But employers also need to be compliant and enhance the candidate experience, which can be difficult when budgets are stretched and the focus is on growth.

Is your workforce ready for tomorrow’s challenges? Let Taskmaster help you build a resilient and adaptable team. Contact us today for tailored staffing solutions.

Lucy Kuc - You can find their LinkedIn here.

Director of Business Development at TaskMaster

22 years in recruitment

 Lucy Kuc, Director of Business Development at TaskMaster, brings 22 years of unparalleled recruitment expertise, marked by tenacity, adaptability, and a genuine passion for success. A rare leader in the industry, Lucy inspires teams to take bold action while leading by example, offering unwavering support and motivation. Her pragmatic and commercially astute approach, combined with her ability to foster loyalty, resilience, and growth, drives exceptional outcomes for clients and her team alike.

Elly Clow - You can find their LinkedIn here.

Head of Client Solutions

16 years in recruitment

Elly Clow, Head of Client Solutions at TaskMaster Resources, brings 16 years of recruitment expertise and a proven ability to deliver innovative workforce solutions. With a CertRP qualification and a strong background in solution selling, Elly focuses on driving growth and operational success for clients. Her strategic approach and commitment to excellence ensure tailored recruitment practices that meet the dynamic needs of the modern workforce.

Helen Whitfield - You can find their LinkedIn here.

Head of Public Sector

Helen Whitfield is a highly accomplished recruitment professional with over 30 years of sales and management expertise, including 24 years specialising in the Public Sector and NHS recruitment. As Head of Public Sector at Taskmaster, Helen has a proven track record of driving sales growth and strengthening client relationships, with some partnerships spanning 25 years. Her consultative and proactive approach has been instrumental in developing robust frameworks, attracting new clients, and maximising opportunities across national networks.

Paige Mills - You can find their LinkedIn here.

Business Development Manager

10 years in recruitment

Paige Mills is an accomplished Business Development Manager with a decade of expertise in recruitment, specialising in industrial, technical, and executive roles. With a proven history of driving success in staffing and sourcing, Paige excels in building strong client relationships and delivering tailored solutions. Her deep industry knowledge and proactive approach make her a trusted partner in connecting businesses with top talent.

October’s budget changes are likely to mean that labour is far more expensive than previously predicted, and businesses throughout the country will be reviewing how every penny is spent in order to save costs. If you’re considering reviewing your recruitment partnerships over the next few months how can you ensure that they align with your business goals and achieve optimal ROI?

In order to receive the maximum benefit from your potential recruitment partner there are a range of questions you need to ask in light of current market trends, such as rising operational costs and evolving workforce demands. Other reasons to look for a new recruitment partner include gaining wider access to the talent you need, freeing up your internal processes to focus on your core business, improving the focus of your business, maximising the potential external resources they can offer you, and increasing your efficiency.

Key considerations:

Research
Thoroughly research all the agencies you have in mind. Check out their history, and find out how long they’ve been active (a simple search on Companies House will show you their trading history and solvency status, as well as who owns and runs them), and check out their reputation on review and comparison sites to see what other clients and candidates have to say about them to ensure they have a reputation for integrity and achieving their objectives.

Processes
Ask about their processes – this should cover their internal systems, their method for candidate provision and what their step-by-step recruitment process is. How do they pre-screen candidates? How do they motivate passive candidates to apply for a new role? What are their success rates? How do they identify and attract candidates? How do they keep talent engaged before, during and after the recruitment process? Do they use any specific recruitment tools? Are their ESG and D&I values aligned with your own?

Experience
Are they experienced in recruitment in your specific sector? Can they provide trend analysis and market research to back up their claims of a deep understanding of the industry in which you want to recruit? Can they provide permanent, contractor and contingent talent? Specialist recruiters employ their sector knowledge to provide you with the candidates that will be the best fit for your business, and understand the role they’re recruiting for too. Do they have case studies that prove they have solved challenges similar to yours in the past.

Flexibility
Flexibility is vital in the recruitment process and enables you to deal with hiring fluctuations in response to market conditions, tight deadlines and constantly changing demands. If your business needs short-term, specialist skills, contractors for longer-term projects, or permanent staff able to make a seamless move to your organisation, make sure that the agencies that you’re considering can offer you a range of options.

Compliance
Supplier compliance is an essential consideration during the tender process, primarily to ensure that the agency you deal with adheres to the law of the land (in respect of such issues as the Equality Act 2010, the Employment Rights Act 1996, and GDPR, for example) but also to protect your own organisation and the talent you’re trying to attract. Insisting on having an agency’s D&I initiatives laid out for you also demonstrates that you put workers’ rights high on your list of priorities and are working hard to ensure a fairer, more inclusive workplace, and one that takes wellbeing seriously.

Cost-effectiveness
Cost-effectiveness matters to ensure optimal ROI, and there are a range of factors to consider when assessing agency fees, including how much you pay if you currently use an agency, the costs of the time and resources involved if you conduct the recruitment process yourself (and its effectiveness) and what services you’ll receive from an agency. A vital consideration, too, is contractor and temp rates – it’s important that you seek a full cost breakdown to ensure complete transparency – if a rate seems too good to be true it probably is, and someone, probably the worker, is being short-changed in the process.

Given that the CIPD estimate that the average in-house cost per hire in the industrial sector is £6,125, rising to £19,000 for a managerial role, the advantages of outsourcing your recruitment requirements to a specialist will not only save you money in the short- and long-term, but also ensure the best possible choice of candidates and help you retain them, ultimately saving you money.

Compatibility
Think carefully if the recruitment partner you’re considering is a company you can actually work with. A recruitment partner is not like any other kind of service provider and it’s important that your values are aligned with one another. Personalities also need to fit, and there needs to be complete mutual respect in order to create a true partnership that’s built to last.

If you’re planning to review your recruitment tender processes over the next few months the points we’ve outlined here will provide you with a good footing on which to start. Of course we’d be delighted to be considered for your recruitment needs – with over 20 years’ experience of sourcing, engaging and managing flexible, temporary and permanent workers in the public sector, the utilities, industrial and transport industries, as well as for commercial organisations, we have the proven track record and experience to help our clients achieve their commercial goals as well as maximise value.

If you’d like to discuss your recruitment needs please contact us here.

In the first Labour budget for 14 years, the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced sweeping measures to fill the alleged £22 billion black hole left by the previous government, as well as support public services. Here we look at how it will affect employers and what it means to recruitment in general.

Autumn Budget 2024

Entitled ‘Fixing the foundations to deliver change’ the budget claims to be the start of a decade of national renewal aimed at protecting people, fixing the NHS, and boosting investment to deliver growth and prosperity for all parts of the country.

Ms Reeves announced five major policy pillars:

A funding boost for the NHS - £22.6 billion will be invested in the NHS over the next two years to help patients access hospital appointments, upgrade GP facilities, establish new surgical hubs and offer more diagnostic scans.

Living standards – no increases to Income Tax, VAT, or employee National Insurance were announced. The National Living Wage (NLW) is set to rise to £12.21 per hour. Pensions are to be increased by 4.1%, and fuel duty remains frozen.

Investment in infrastructure - £100 million will go to rebuild schools and hospitals and fix roads. Local transport will also receive funding, and digital infrastructure will be boosted to allow more people to access high-speed broadband.

Economic and business growth – Business rates will be reduced by 40%, up to a cap of £110,000, and properties used for retail, leisure and hospitality will see reduced taxes. The small business multiplier is also being frozen, and Corporation Tax will remain at 25%.

Tax reform – tax loopholes are being closed and HMRC will be put on an efficiency drive. Any money saved will go directly to fund public services. New fiscal rules are also being devised to ensure that the government only borrows for investment and to reduce public debt over time.

What does the budget mean for employers?

If we drill down into the details of the budget we notice several things that will affect employers specifically:

Employer NIC – the rate at which employers pay National Insurance Contributions on behalf of their employees is set to rise by 1.2 percentage points to 15% and the threshold at which employers start to pay NI per employee is coming down from £9,100 per year to £5,000 per year. The increase is expected to raise around £25 billion per annum.

National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage – the NLW will increase by 6.7% from £11.44 per hour to £12.21 per hour for people over 21 years of age, equating to a rise of £1,400 per year for full-time workers. For people aged between 18-20 the NMW will also rise by 16.3% from £8.60 per hour to £10.00 per hour. Apprenticeship rates are also increasing, from £6.40 to £7.55 per hour.

Employment Allowance – to protect small businesses the government is increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This is intended to reduce their NIC liability if the figure they pay is less than £100,000 for the previous tax year. Next year the government plans to abolish the £100,000 limit and expand the Employment Allowance to all eligible employers. They hope that this will mean that around 865,000 employers will pay no NIC next year and it may mean that four additional full-time workers earning the NLW can be employed without extra NI costs, and around a million companies will pay roughly the same as they did before the budget.

What effect will this have on employers and recruitment?

Some employers are concerned about the impact these measures will have on their business in terms of staffing costs and the amount they can invest in their business in the future but many have welcomed the protections that the government has offered them with the increase in the Employment Allowance.

The issue of training has also been raised, with some commentators making the point that skills investment will be impacted by higher staff costs, risking some businesses falling behind their competitors. Some experts have also warned that smaller businesses, which are less able to absorb the rise in costs, may have to lay people off or initiate hiring freezes. And it’s raised concerns that recruitment will be affected by a rise in the costs of salaries.

How can employers overcome these challenges?

Many employers, large or small, either in the public or private sector, will still be calculating the effect of October’s budget, to see exactly how it will impact their finances and workforce. Exactly how much individual businesses are affected by the changes Ms Reeves has instigated depends on a number of different factors such as how many people they employ and how many of their staff are paid at the NLW or NMW. But there are measures that employers can take to stay agile and cost-effective in this challenging economic environment.

Temporary staffing solutions, for example, can offer a flexible, efficient way to recruit the staff businesses need at the time they need them most.

Temporary staff are needed for both large and small organisations in the private and public sectors and can offer considerable cost-savings to employers, at a time when finances are tight. This kind of employment benefits employers by allowing them to cover seasonal requirements (such as the pre-Christmas rush), or short- or long-term absences. It enables businesses to unlock a wide pool of talent and bring in fresh ideas and skills. It also means that employees can bring in staff with particular skills that they are lacking, meaning that they can avoid costly and lengthy training. And it’s also a flexible solution to staffing issues, meaning that employers can scale up or down as needed.

It’s a fast and efficient method of recruitment too, meaning that employers can concentrate on their core business, leaving the selection and interview process to the agency involved. And, most importantly in the light of the chancellor’s budget measures, it leaves the recruitment agency to deal with payroll issues such as tax and NI.

If you’re worried about how the 2024 Autumn budget will affect your business and its associated staffing costs, talk to TaskMaster. We’ve been supplying flexible and responsive workforce solutions to businesses in the private and public sector for almost 30 years, and fill more than 2,000 temporary roles each year for a variety of clients in the driving, industrial, facilities management, catering and estates, commercial, utilities and waste sectors.

For more information about how we can help you grow your business through cost-effective temporary staffing solutions, contact us here.

As the first frosts arrive and flu jab reminders start to be sent out, the NHS prepares itself for the heightened pressures of winter. However, it’s not just the 140,700 NHS doctors and 377,600 nurses who are steeling themselves to cope with the influx of patients that winter brings, but the 251,200 non-clinical support staff who ensure that patients are warm and well-fed and that hospitals remain clean and germ-free. Here we look at the importance of non-clinical operational efficiency, especially in the winter months, and see how the NHS is addressing staff shortages and rising demand in a cost-effective way.

Winter pressures

The NHS deals with around 600 million ‘patient contacts’ every year. That’s 1.7 million interactions with GPs, community specialists, hospital departments, 111 calls, and ambulances every single day.

Winter often brings a surge in healthcare needs, with a 10-15% increase in demand. Admissions increase, waiting times are longer and both acute and primary care are under greater pressure.

The reasons for this include:

• Illness – respiratory illnesses, such as colds, flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and norovirus infections increase during winter and affect vulnerable people such as those with serious health conditions and elderly people
• Weather – when temperatures fall people with underlying health conditions become more prone to cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. People also fall over or have other types of accidents when it’s icy or when snow falls
• Staff shortages – NHS workers succumb to viruses and need time off leading to staff shortages on both wards and in support services. 

These factors lead to bed shortages which causes delays in admissions, increasing the pressure on A&E departments, other wards, discharges and ongoing care. All of which contribute towards intense levels of pressure on NHS staff and facilities.

Non-clinical operations

Non-clinical operations play a crucial role in meeting the increased workload that the NHS experiences in the winter months.

Staff such as domestics, cleaners, maintenance, porters, caterers and drivers all play their part in making hospital stays and visits more pleasant and less intimidating, as well as keeping patients fed and warm, and maintaining dignity. In fact, fundamental non-clinical care such as providing good nutrition and maintaining warmth can significantly improve recovery rates, lowering bed occupancy by 15% during the winter months, alleviating pressure on a system that’s already overloaded. This is especially true of elderly and vulnerable patients, many of whom remain in hospital despite being classed as ‘medically fit’ because of gaps in the health and social care system, and who require domestic-style care within a hospital setting. The NHS Food and Drink Strategy, for example, aims to ensure that organisations deliver quality, nutritious, sustainable food and drinks for patients to aid recovery. The NHS regards healthy food as a vital part of patient care, regarding it as ‘medicine’ in itself, increasing the quality of hospital stays and reducing their length.

Cleanliness is another vital aspect of hospital stays – preventing infections and increasing comfort for patients, staff and visitors, particularly in the winter months when colds, flus and other viruses are prevalent. Domestic service staff are responsible for cleaning the wards, corridors, theatres and other communal areas, delivering food to patients, and ensuring a plentiful supply of clean linen, among other things.

Maintaining the fabric of the NHS’s buildings is another important part of non-clinical operations, meaning that electricians, plumbers, window cleaners, carpenters and joiners all play their part in ensuring that the NHS can function in the most effective way.

Meeting rising demand

Demand for NHS services increases year-on-year; new technologies and medicines increase our lifespans and offer hope to millions of people every year. However, successive governments have focused on efficiencies, committing to do more with the available resources. One common theme among cost-saving initiatives over recent years has been the reduction in the use of temporary staffing spend ‘to a maximum of 3.2% of the total pay bill across 2024/25’. In 2022/23 the NHS wage bill (excluding GPs) was £71.1 billion so the maximum target figure for agency staff spend is £2,275,200,000 – this includes all staff, both medical and non-clinical.

It may sound like a significant amount and generates a lot of bad press, but the majority of this money is spent on clinical staff. The Kings Fund notes that vacancy rates in September 2023 were 8.4% (121,000 full time equivalent) for medical staff and 9.9% (152,000) for social care. Retention is also an issue for the NHS, with 154,000 people leaving their roles by September 2023, and in social care the numbers are even higher, with 390,000 quitting by the same time.

So, while ‘agency staffing costs’ creates sensationalist headlines, in fact non-clinical agency staff make up a tiny proportion of this spend and, as we’ve seen, contribute enormously towards the safe and effective running of hospitals and quality patient care.

Cost effective staffing

In order for hospitals to run efficiently, for patients to be kept warm and fed, for clean linen to be available, and for the food provided to be nutritious and wholesome, non-clinical staff are the essential but often unseen factor. Non-clinical staff members provide support to the doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, mental health workers and social care workers that enable them to function efficiently, but almost more importantly, offer comfort and empathy to patients who find themselves in an unfamiliar and sometimes frightening environment. And those staff members that are supplied by agencies such as TaskMaster provide cost-effective, efficient services that are the backbone of the NHS.

TaskMaster has over 20 years’ experience of providing non-clinical staff to the NHS, in a variety of supporting roles, from cleaners to caretakers, and from litter pickers to lunchtime supervisors to meet peaks in workload and at times of staff shortages, as experienced during winter pressures. We’re a long-standing NHS partner and are dedicated to finding the right talent, whether that’s temporary, temp to perm, fixed term or contractors, to not only ensure that hospitals function smoothly, but also that patient outcomes are positive and healthy, reducing the strain on the NHS in the darkest of winters.

For more information on how you can engage the vital non-clinical staff the NHS needs this winter contact us now.

We have been using Taksmaster for several years now and I couldn’t be more satisfied with their service. From the moment I contacted them, the team were professional, responsive, and incredibly helpful. 

The driver’s that have been assigned to us have always been punctual, courteous, and reliable.

The have always worked well with the team, ensuring we arrived at our customer destinations on time and stress-free.

What stands out the most with the team in the office is their commitment to customer satisfaction. They go above and beyond to accommodate our specific requirements and make sure everything runs smoothly.

I highly recommend Taskmaster to anyone in need of reliable and top-notch driver-hire services.

Thank you Team for your exceptional 5* service

Taskmaster is excited to announce the appointment of Elly Clow as the new Head of Client Solutions. With 15 years of experience in recruitment, Elly brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the role, having previously worked across various positions in the industry.

Elly began her career in 2009 as an on-site consultant and progressed to roles such as Recruitment Consultant, Area Manager, and Regional Manager eventually transitioning into the Professional Services sector, shifting her career towards permanent recruitment UK wide, and is now eager to return to her roots in volume staffing solutions.

In her new role, Elly will be responsible for supporting Taskmaster's branch network across the UK, driving growth in temporary staffing solutions, and focusing on large-volume accounts including on-sites. She will work closely with the Taskmaster branch network to ensure a strong performance and will also explore opportunities in regions where Taskmaster currently does not have a presence to support business growth plans.

"I’m beyond excited to take on this new challenge and work with such a talented team," said Elly. "I look forward to driving growth and supporting our clients through the everchanging recruitment landscape."

With nearly three decades of experience in the recruitment industry, Taskmaster is committed to providing exceptional service and innovative solutions to meet the changing needs of its clients.

For more information about Taskmaster and its services, please visit https://www.tmrec.com/