342.The current arrangements for nurses agencies are set out in the Nurses Agencies Act 1957 and associated regulations. In order to operate, agencies have to be licensed. The licensing authority is the County or Borough Council, and in many cases this duty has been delegated to District Councils. The principal requirement regarding conduct of an agency on the face of the 1957 Act is that the selection of each nurse for each placement must be made by, or under the supervision of, a qualified nurse. The Nurses Agencies Regulations 1961 (as amended) set out the classes of nurse that agencies can supply, the form that applications for registration should take, the records agencies should keep and the registration and annual fees payable.
ANNEX 1: Existing Legislation Nurses Agencies Act 1957