SIR David Crausby MP has declared a Government U-turn a ‘victory for common sense’ as plans to privatise an NHS staffing agency were dropped.

The Government previously announced in 2016 that it intended to sell a majority stake in NHS Professionals, which supplies flexible staffing to the NHS.

The long-serving Bolton North East MP said: “This is very positive news, a victory for common sense.

“NHS Professionals provides clear savings to our NHS services year on year and sacrificing that for a quick one off cash injection would have been foolish and a bad deal for patients.

“I hope that the Government will move on from this idea now and focus on addressing the serious recruitment problem in the NHS that is driving so many trusts to use agency staff.”

NHS Professionals holds a bank of more than 90,000 workers, who fill more than two million shifts, and saves the NHS £70 million a year.