- Cash spent on bringing in locum docs and company nurses to cowl tons of of shifts and absences reaches report ranges
- Issues raised that poor office planning is contributing to spiralling ready occasions
Scotland’s NHS was compelled to spend £620million on short-term staff final yr in a determined bid to sort out a serious staffing disaster.
Official figures revealed that eye-watering sums had been spent on bringing in locum docs and financial institution or company nurses to cowl tons of of shifts and absences.
The report invoice for short-term staff has led to claims that workers and sufferers have been left to pay the value of the Scottish Authorities’s botched workforce planning.
A complete of £490million was spent on financial institution and company nursing and midwifery workers in 2023-24, new NHS workforce statistics have revealed.
Lots of of thousands and thousands of kilos had been spent final yr on short-term workers to fill NHS shifts
Spending was 9.5 per cent greater than the £447.4million for the earlier yr and has doubled over the previous three years.
As well as, £129.6million was spent on locum docs and dentists, 8.3 per cent greater than the earlier yr’s £119.6million.
Scottish Liberal Democrat chief Alex Cole-Hamilton mentioned: ‘These figures present the price of attempting to paper over the cracks created by the SNP’s botched workforce planning.
‘The whole failure by this SNP-Inexperienced authorities to recruit and retain workers stretches all the way in which again to Nicola Sturgeon chopping coaching locations and claiming that was “smart”. Now workers and sufferers are each paying the value.
‘Scottish Liberal Democrats would fully overhaul the SNP’s failed NHS Restoration Plan to get workforce planning again on observe and enhance coaching locations in key areas akin to psychological well being and dentistry.
‘The SNP additionally must reverse their opposition to a burnout prevention technique, in any other case they run the chance of shedding many extra NHS workers.’
A complete of £338.8million was spent on 7,019 financial institution nurses final yr. They carried out 13.68million hours of labor, giving them a mean hourly charge of £24.76.
An additional £151.16million was spent on 1,695 company nurses and midwives who labored 3.3million hours, giving them a mean hourly charge of £45.74. Spending on short-term workers has risen at a sooner charge than the rise within the variety of everlasting staff over the previous yr.
The newest figures come after rising issues concerning the NHS workforce disaster.
The Royal School of Nursing additionally warned that UK-wide office pressures are fuelling a rise in calls to its recommendation line from workers battling suicidal ideas.
Earlier this yr, it was revealed the NHS had spent greater than £1million a yr to make use of two locum psychiatrists within the Western Isles.
A Scottish Authorities spokesman mentioned: ‘The vast majority of short-term staffing come from workers banks; these are NHS workers, engaged on NHS charges of pay.
‘The rise in financial institution spend is a results of our efforts to cut back high-cost nursing and midwifery company spend, which has decreased by nearly 11 per cent.
‘We’ve report excessive staffing ranges, together with report numbers of medical and dental consultants, nurses and midwives and allied well being professionals.’
