It operates a membership base of healthcare professionals (known as 'Bank Members') who work flexible shifts and longer-term placements at more than 130 acute and community NHS Trusts and other health and care organisations across the UK and the Channel Islands.
[5] In 2016, the government decided to sell a 75% stake in NHS Professionals, but following considerable criticism the Minister of Health Philip Dunne announced on 7 September 2017 that these plans had been abandoned.
It generates income from fees charged to Client NHS Trusts to manage their flexible workforce requirements and to cover operating costs.
For example, its 'Managed Service Provider' function takes over operational management of a Client's temporary workforce requirements including recruitment and shift fill, training and compliance, reductions in private staffing agency costs, on-site support and communications and marketing.
In March 2020 it launched a 'Rapid Response' service and reported that it recruited 20,000 healthcare workers into the NHS, drawn from its Bank Members and a pool of retired, trainee and private sector staff.