Gaps in hospital rotas sent the bill for temporary staff soaring from £2.2bn in 2009-10 to £3.6bn last year. In August, for example, NHS trusts spent £252m on agency staff – £61m (19.5%) less than the £313m they paid out in the same month the year before. Hospitals are now paying 18% less on average for nurses whom they hire through agencies which NHS England boss Simon Stevens last year criticised for “ripping off the NHS”. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, has accused staffing agencies of ripping off the NHS. Most NHS trusts have responded well to the caps, using them to significantly reduce their agency spending and improve their workforce management,” said Dr Kathy McLean, NHS Improvement’s executive medical director.

Source: The Guardian October 15, 2016 23:05 UTC