On 11th September 2025, I had the privilege of joining the second Health & Social Care Recruitment Roundtable hosted by Matt Farrah of Niche Jobs
The session brought together professionals from across the UK and Ireland, including talent acquisition leaders, employer branding specialists, and recruiters from both public and private sectors.
Our discussion was timely and urgent – with the NHS undergoing significant transformation and shifting focus from hospital-based care to community and preventative models, the ripple effects on recruitment are already being felt. Here are the key topics and discussion points we explored:
Cost & Compliance Pressures
The roundtable opened by Matt of Niche Jobs with a frank discussion on the financial strain facing the entire recruitment supply chain in the UK since major changes to locum and temporary staffing by NHS organisations. The macroeconomic impacts of wage and NI changes were discussed as the biggest cost change to all staffing and recruitment businesses. Attendees have seen rising wage costs, employer National Insurance contributions, and tighter agency staffing controls which are forcing organisations to rethink their models. We debated the recent headline and statement from Health Minister Ashley Dalton — “The taxpayer has been footing the bill for rip-off agencies for too long” — underscores the political pressure to reduce spend and increase compliance.
As a legitimate supplier operating within capped rates, with framework level compliance checks, iGo Recruitment welcomes transparency and strategic reform. We also recognise the risk of oversimplification and reducing margins to be below feasible levels whilst retaining employed operational staff in-house, especially when it comes to the nuanced needs of high-compliance environments.
Shrinking Talent Pools & Longer Hiring Cycles
Recruiters and in-house talent acquisition team attendees reported fewer qualified and experienced candidates and a longer time-to-hire. This is impacting service delivery, team morale, and ultimately patient outcomes. The contraction of NHS agency spend is real, as is a limited number of entry level permanent jobs across Nursing, AHP and Medical roles. The contraction on NHS agency spend is pushing highly skilled candidates hiring out of the wards and into portfolio work often part time in private employers and also into non-clinical work, or retirement.
At iGo recruitment, we’re seeing increased demand for social care professionals, particularly in roles that support preventative care and community-based services. This shift requires not just new sourcing strategies, but a rethinking of job design and candidate engagement.
Overseas Recruitment — Pause or Pivot?
One of the most debated topics was the status of overseas hiring. While some clinicians remain on the Skilled Worker visa list of eligible occupations, there’s growing uncertainty. Some NHS employer attendees shared that NHS teams have been informally advised to halt sponsorships. Whether volume overseas recruitment has stopped is unclear, but the impact on newly qualified UK graduate clinicians, many of whom are struggling to secure placements, is undeniable to recruitment professionals close to newly qualified clinicians.
iGo continues to monitor these trends closely. We believe overseas talent remains vital, but must be balanced with investment in domestic training for newly qualified clinicians entering the employment market and retention.
🤖 AI, Job Boards & the Future of Hiring
During the roundtable yesteday 11th September, we also touched on the evolution of platforms like Indeed, LinkedIn and bespoke offerings by international jobboards which is the move from a job board to a “two-sided hiring marketplace.” New AI assistants, is still evolving but signals a shift toward automated matching and deeper funnel control. The demand of which will be high and we are keen to discuss the value achieved in future roundtable events.
As a recruitment manager with a marketing background, I see both opportunity and risk with jobboards pivoting to AI sourcing. AI can streamline processes, but it must be deployed ethically and transparently, especially in healthcare recruitment where we are asked for specific experiences, registrations and certification which sometimes can only come with specific years of qualification.
What Should Government Do?
With the Labour Party Conference approaching, participants were asked: “What would you tell Keir Starmer?” Suggestions ranged from reinstating nurse bursaries to easing restrictions or VISA numbers for international recruitment and investing in UK-based training programmes.
My thoughts are that expectations on the NHS and private healthcare providers have crept to be all-encompassing, we need to support immediate permanent hiring needs, and long-term workforce sustainability, ideally tempering the headline grabbing trend whilst we do this as a country.
Next time
The September roundtable confirmed what many of us already feel, that 2025 is one of the toughest years yet for health and social care recruitment into public sector organisations. The session also revealed new thinking, collaboration, and a shared commitment to doing better despite reputational challenges in the press.
iGo Recruitment remains at the forefront of these conversations. Whether it’s navigating compliance, sourcing clinical talent, or adapting to new technology, we’re here to help our clients succeed. To get in touch please contact us or leave a comment below.