£2.5bn spent on agency staff to meet increasing demand on NHS

In an attempt to improve patient safety, new figures have shown that £2.5bn was spent last year on part-time agency staff by NHS hospitals.

The overspend has been driven by hospital bosses employing more nursing staff in an attempt to improve patient safety in the wake of the Mid Staffordshire care scandal, and also by growing demand on hospitals.

Health bosses have been criticised for failing to forecast the needs of their workforce more efficiently. Agencies often charge far more for their staff per shift than the cost of a full-time NHS doctor or nurse.

Labour MP Frank Field, said the figures showed the health service budget control was “collapsing”.

Mr Field said “Had they planned properly, managers could have saved hundreds of millions of pounds for the health service, and ensured more monies ended up in workers’ pockets rather than in agency fees.

“Our next step must be to find out exactly how many of these agency workers were paid a living wage, and how much of this £2.5bn was creamed off by the agencies.”

The overspend has come to light at the same time as latest hospital figures have shown deteriorating performance.

A drive in recruitment has led to an additional 260 A&E doctors becoming available, 50 being recruited from overseas.

A spokesperson from the Department of Health said “We know our ageing population puts pressure on parts of the NHS, but the vast majority of patients are seen and treated quickly, with 2,000 more people seen daily in A&E within the four-hour target last year compared to 2010.

“Patient safety is top of our agenda, and in the wake of Mid Staffs there has been increased spend on agency workers to correct historic understaffing. Staff numbers should meet demand, but we know delivering safe care and balancing the books go hand in hand, so we’re reducing reliance on expensive agency workers going forward.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Paralegal, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (karenmotley@chadlaw.co.uk ), Medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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