Hospitals in England pay £5,200 for one agency doctor's shift

Hospitals successful England person paid retired arsenic overmuch arsenic £5,200 for a displacement by a doc done an agency, according to figures obtained by Labour done Freedom of Information requests.

That is the latest successful an intensifying statement implicit workforce shortages successful the NHS successful England.

Labour blamed the precocious bureau fees connected Conservatives, arguing they had failed to bid capable doctors and nurses.

A Conservative spokesperson said "record numbers" had been recruited.

The accusation connected payments for bureau workers comes from Freedom of Information requests to NHS trusts successful England made by Labour covering the fiscal twelvemonth 2021/22.

The astir costly reported displacement was £5,234 - paid by a spot successful bluish England. This covers the bureau interest and different leader costs arsenic good arsenic the wealth going to the doctor.

There was a effect complaint of astir 40% of large infirmary trusts successful England. Labour says 1 successful 3 of those who responded paid an bureau much than £3,000 for a azygous doctor's displacement past year, portion 3 quarters paid much than £2,000.

Labour's shadiness wellness caput Wes Streeting said: "Desperate hospitals are forced to wage rip-off fees to agencies, due to the fact that the Conservatives person failed to bid capable doctors and nurses implicit the past 12 years."

A Conservative spokesperson said 4,000 much doctors and 9,000 much nurses had been hired since September 2021.

Mr Streeting said that, if elected, Labour would bid 7,500 much doctors and 10,000 much nurses a year, paid for by abolishing the non-dom taxation presumption - the presumption which allows UK residents whose imperishable homes are overseas not to wage UK taxation connected overseas income.

In November, BBC News revealed that spending connected bureau wellness workers successful England roseate by 20% to £3 cardinal past year.

Some NHS bosses told america however they had to breach authorities wage headdress guidelines to guarantee staffing ratios were maintained.

The headdress is acceptable astatine 55% supra what a mean worker would earn. One crab specializer told BBC News helium was offered enactment for £130 an hr and described the fees disposable arsenic "astonishing".

Previously reported figures suggest spending besides appears to beryllium rising successful different parts of the UK.

In Scotland it has doubled successful the past year, portion successful Wales it has risen by much than 40%. In Northern Ireland, it is 4 times higher than it was 3 years ago.

In effect to the latest findings, Miriam Deakin of NHS Providers, representing trusts successful England, said: "Funding is precise choky but bureau costs volition stay portion of the representation portion unit are successful abbreviated supply. Trusts are doing each they tin to debar unnecessary costs".

NHS England is to people a semipermanent workforce program successful the outpouring to contiguous to ministers who volition determine however to money it.

The aesculapian manager of NHS England, Sir Steve Powis, told the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that the NHS needed much unit and "if you inquire maine personally, erstwhile it comes to doctors, we request much aesculapian pupil places".