Funding plus the administration behind it: timesheets, invoicing, payments and collections handled for you.
Back office services are provided by specialist recruitment funders as part of their facility. We arrange the facility and help you choose the right provider; we do not run the back office ourselves.
What a back office solution covers
- Timesheet collection, validation and query resolution
- Invoice generation and submission, including to NHS portals and framework systems
- Contractor and locum payments, including PAYE and umbrella arrangements
- Credit control and collections
- Sales ledger management and reporting
- Margin reporting by placement, consultant and client
Who it suits
A back office solution earns its keep in two situations.
Growing agencies without the infrastructure. If you are placing enough locums that timesheet administration is consuming a consultant’s week, outsourcing it is usually cheaper than the hire and considerably faster to implement.
Agencies where the founder is doing it. If the person who should be winning contracts is chasing timesheets on a Sunday evening, the cost of the back office is trivial against the placements not being made.
It suits agencies less well where you have already built a strong internal function, or where your processes are unusual enough that a standard service would be a step backwards.
Healthcare specifics
Healthcare staffing administration is more complex than general recruitment and it is worth checking a provider handles it properly.
- Framework and portal submission. NHS frameworks have their own systems and rules. A provider that has not done it before will learn on your account.
- Rate cards and multiple pay rates. Different grades, unsocial hours, bank holidays. Getting this wrong costs you margin or costs you workers.
- Compliance documentation. Right to work, DBS, professional registration and mandatory training all sit alongside the payment process.
- Query and dispute handling. Timesheet disputes with a trust are routine, and how quickly they are resolved directly affects your cash.
The real benefit
Agencies usually adopt back office for administrative relief and find the bigger gain is cash. Faster, more accurate invoicing and professional credit control shorten debtor days materially, and in a business where you are paying weekly and collecting monthly, days matter.
Common questions
Do I have to take funding to get the back office?
Usually the two go together, because the funder needs control of the ledger to fund it. Standalone back office services exist but the combined product is generally better value.
Do I lose control of client relationships?
No. The provider handles administration and collections; you keep the relationship, the placements and the negotiation. Agree the escalation process up front so a collections call never surprises a client you are mid-negotiation with.
How long does it take to move?
Usually a few weeks. The main work is data migration and getting framework portal access transferred. Plan the move for a quiet period rather than mid-surge.
Related: recruitment invoice finance and funding NHS framework billing.
All figures are indicative and subject to lender assessment, your circumstances, valuation and prevailing market conditions. Commercial mortgages and unregulated bridging loans are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Property offered as security may be at risk if you do not keep up repayments.