What’s the Best Way to Find NHS Shifts?

For healthcare professionals looking to build a flexible and rewarding career, finding NHS shifts in a way that fits your lifestyle and financial goals is essential.

With so many options available, it can be difficult to know which route is best. Should you work through a traditional agency, join a staff bank, or try a new platform like Flexzo Ai that offers a more direct approach?

Each option has its advantages and challenges. Understanding the differences can help you choose the path that gives you the flexibility, stability, and financial security you need.

How Traditional Agencies Work

Agencies have been a major part of healthcare staffing for decades. They act as the middleman between healthcare professionals and Trusts who need shifts filled.

When you register with an agency, they match you to available shifts based on your skills and location. Agencies often promise quick access to work and higher hourly rates, which can be very appealing if you want immediate income.

However, there are some common frustrations that come with working through agencies. Many healthcare professionals find that:

• Pay rates are inconsistent and sometimes reduced by hidden fees
• Work is not always guaranteed, leading to unpredictable income
• Compliance processes are repeated every time you move to a new agency
• Umbrella companies take additional deductions from pay
• You have little direct contact with the Trust you are working for

While agencies can be helpful for short-term needs, they can create challenges if you are looking for long-term stability, career growth or more control over your work.

How NHS Staff Banks Work

Staff banks are another option for healthcare professionals looking to pick up shifts.

When you join a Trust’s internal bank, you are effectively part of their flexible workforce. You are offered shifts directly by the Trust and are usually paid in line with NHS Agenda for Change pay scales, including enhancements for unsocial hours, weekends, and public holidays.

Some benefits of staff banks include:

• Direct employment with the NHS Trust
• Access to NHS pension schemes and holiday pay
• Consistent compliance standards
• Familiarity with local systems and teams

Staff banks offer more stability than agencies, and many workers prefer the sense of belonging that comes with being more integrated into NHS teams.

However, working with a single Trust’s bank can sometimes limit your shift options. If there are not enough shifts at one hospital, you might find yourself with fewer opportunities than you need.

Also, the administration process can sometimes be slow, and it can be frustrating having to manage multiple staff bank registrations if you want to work across different organisations.

The Flexzo Ai Approach: A Better Alternative?

Flexzo Ai offers a modern solution that brings together the best parts of staff banks with the flexibility that many agency workers love.

Flexzo Ai is a collaborative staff bank platform that connects healthcare professionals directly to a wide network of NHS Trusts without the need for a traditional agency.

With Flexzo Ai you can:

• Access shifts at multiple NHS Trusts without needing to register separately with each one
• Manage your compliance in one place with simple document uploads
• Pick shifts that suit your schedule and location preferences
• Avoid hidden agency fees and keep more of what you earn
• Enjoy fair NHS rates plus enhancements, without umbrella company deductions

Flexzo Ai was built with healthcare professionals in mind, recognising that many workers want more choice and control over their careers without the complexity and costs that come with agency work.

Which Option Pays Best?

It is tempting to choose the option that offers the highest headline hourly rate.

Agencies often advertise the biggest numbers, especially for last-minute or hard-to-fill shifts. However, once you factor in umbrella company deductions, lack of holiday pay, and unreliable work patterns, the real take-home pay might not be as impressive as it first seems.

Staff banks tend to offer more consistent pay, including access to enhancements, pensions, and holiday pay. While the hourly rate might look slightly lower at first, the overall package is often better in the long run.

Flexzo Ai combines this consistent, NHS-aligned pay structure with the flexibility of being able to pick from a larger pool of shifts. Because there are no agency margins or unnecessary deductions, healthcare professionals can often earn more over time than they would through an agency, with the added benefit of a more stable and supportive system.

Which Option Gives You More Flexibility?

One of the main reasons healthcare professionals choose agency work is for flexibility. The idea of picking and choosing shifts sounds ideal for balancing work with life, study or family commitments.

However, the reality is that true flexibility also requires reliability. Being offered lots of shifts at the last minute with little choice does not always feel as flexible as it sounds.

Staff banks provide some flexibility, but usually within the limits of the single Trust you are signed up with.

Flexzo Ai offers a balance. By giving you access to shifts across multiple Trusts, you get true flexibility. You can build a work schedule that fits your life, not just fit your life around random shift offers.

You can work more some weeks, take time off when you want to, and choose shifts in locations that suit you.

Which Option Supports Your Career Development?

One hidden downside of heavy agency work is the lack of connection to ongoing professional development.

Agency staff often miss out on internal training opportunities, mentorship programmes, and career pathways that are open to permanent NHS staff.

Staff bank workers, being more integrated into NHS teams, often have better access to Trust-led development programmes.

Flexzo Ai bridges this gap. Because you are working directly with NHS Trusts, not through a commercial agency, you remain part of the healthcare system’s broader professional development structure.

You stay connected to clinical governance processes, receive proper feedback, and build relationships that support your growth and progression.

What Healthcare Professionals Are Saying

Healthcare professionals who move from traditional agency work to a more direct model like Flexzo Ai often say they feel:

• More valued and respected
• More in control of their careers
• Better able to plan financially and personally
• Less stressed about compliance and shift management
• More connected to the teams they work with

Having a single, easy-to-use platform for shift finding and compliance management makes a huge difference, especially when you are balancing busy professional and personal lives.

Final Thoughts

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to finding NHS shifts. Agencies can offer short-term gains but often at the cost of consistency and full earnings. Staff banks offer security but may sometimes lack variety. Collaborative platforms like Flexzo Ai offer a new way forward, combining the best parts of both models without the downsides.