Findings from Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to NHS trusts across the South East found hospitals spent £582,392,919 on agency nursing staff over three years between 2020 - 2022 to cover gaps in rotas and keep wards open. Across England this figure is a staggering £3.2billion.
As services run under the strain of more than 40,000 vacant nursing post, the RCN says the money spent on temporary staff across three years would have paid the salaries of 5,614 band 5 nurses in the South East for a year*.
Analysis of findings show spending on temporary nursing staff spiralling over three years with costs increasing from £137,844,189 in 2020 to £252,383,477 in 2022.
Trusts were forced into the spending on temporary staff amid a long-term workforce crisis leaving more than 40,000 empty nursing posts across the NHS in England leaving patient care at risk.
Royal College Of Nursing Regional Director, South East England, Ellen McNicholas, says:
“These figures are a stark reminder that Trusts cannot keep plugging gaps in staffing in this way, it’s financially untenable. At the moment they have no choice but to go cap in hand to agencies as they look to prop up their workforce. What is needed is a sustainable workforce plan and to have nursing seen as the amazing role that it is. With better pay, nursing will considered as a more viable option for those hoping to enter the profession as well as retaining those with experience.
“While the option for some people to work in agency roles is important, the NHS should not become over reliant on calling in agency staff to run essential services. When new staff come onto a ward it adds to issues with continuity of care. New members of the team often have to start from scratch in understanding the needs of their patients. It can also add to handover times meaning many staff are forced into working extra hours.
“These figures provide yet more evidence to demonstrate years of ineffective government workforce planning is costing millions. Paying for agency overheads is expensive and puts pressure on finite budgets for services and patient care. While money pours out of the NHS to agencies the permanent gaps in rotas remain, meaning staff are left to care for too many patients and care is put at risk.“
Royal College of Nursing Chief Nurse Professor Nicola Ranger, says:
“Ministers have got their priorities wrong – forcing trusts to squander billions on agency staff while they provide miserly funding for fair pay and nurse education.
“With cuts to nurse education and maintaining unfair pay levels, ministers are choosing to spend the money on much higher private agency bills instead, this is yet another false economy when it comes to NHS spending.
“This should act as a wake-up call. The government must give nursing staff and patients the investment and respect they deserve. Not acting now will mean even more patients on waiting lists and the crisis in the nursing workforce deepening further.”
