Figures taken from Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to NHS trusts across the South West found hospitals across the region spent £389,491,306 on temporary nursing staff between 2020 and 2022 to plug chronic staff shortages. This money could have paid the salaries of 3,754 full-time nurses each year in the South West.
The findings show that more than £3 billion was spent on agency staff by hospitals in England. In South West trusts, agency spending increased by 152% in three years, from £77,115,455 in 2020 to £186,803,119 in 2022. The region had the third highest spend on temporary agency nursing staff compared to other regions in England.
NHS trusts are 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 for the South West, Lucy Muchina, said:
“The region's nursing workforce shortage is not new. We have raised concerns with MPs year on year but we are yet to see a credible, sustainable workforce plan from this government.
The government must demonstrate it is committed to making nursing a more attractive profession, starting with fair pay. Until it does, more funds will be spent on agency staff and the NHS will continue to struggle with thousands of vacant nursing posts.
This ongoing situation places significant pressure on the region’s NHS leaders and staff who are trying to keep services running against a backdrop of short staffing, rising waiting lists and demands to deliver further efficiency savings. Ultimately, patients are suffering.”
Royal College of Nursing Chief Nurse Professor Nicola Ranger, said:
“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.”
Notes to editors
- The RCN submitted a Freedom of Information request to NHS trusts in England on spending on agency nursing staff for the calendar years 2020 to 2022. A total of 182 trusts provided usable data that showed £3,211,438,575 was spent on agency staff. All NHS Trusts but one NHS trust in the South West region responded, A full breakdown of the responses is available on request.
- The average agency spend each year in the South West (£129,830,435), would pay for 3,754 permanent full-time equivalent (FTE) nurses each on the top of a Band 5 salary (£34,581) at the 2023/24 NHS pay scales.
- Contact tracey.roberts@rcn.org.uk for further information.
