Understaffed Hospitals in the UK have no other choice but to hire agency workers, a new report suggests.
The hospitals, which are overspending by millions of pounds in the process, are breaking several new rules designed to cut down on agency spending.
Yorkshire hospitals have reportedly breached the agency cap 58,000 times in seven months, while the worst offenders are breaking the rules several hundred times a day.
The consistent rule breaking is resulting in a multi-million pound budget deficit, and NHS organisations fear they will miss targets to cut down on spending between now and the end of the year.
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation also violated the new rules, breaking the agency cap 13,615 times and overspending by more over £500,000 a month.
The foundation is expected to pay almost £23 million on agency staff by the end of this year, severely abandoning its current target of just £14.95 million.
An independent report told Calderdale and Huddersfield’s chiefs to slash spending or risk missing out on additional NHS funding.
Helen Barker, chief operating officer for the foundation said “We are doing everything we can” through an “ongoing recruitment drive substantive posts and through a senior level review of our use of agency staffing”.
Mid Yorkshire Hospitals likewise infringed on agency pay limits on 23,500 occasions between November and May, allegedly spending almost £23 million on agency workers in 2016/17.
The organisation must cut £8 million from its agency staff bill by next March to achieve its savings target.
Director of nursing David Melia claimed to have reduced the infringements, and is encouraging part-time staff to work though the health service controlled NHS Bank.
“We acknowledge that there is still a way to go and as such are continuing to look at alternative ways of working so we can have a more flexible workforce”, he said.
“There’s no doubt that these additional staff members are a valuable resource to the NHS but we need to do all we can to attract more permanent clinical staff into the organisation.”
Paula Sherriff, MP for Dewsbury and Mirfield, instead criticised the government for introducing the agency cap in place of providing additional resources to train new nurses.
She called for a “greater focus” on helping the trust overcome the longer-term staffing crisis.
For more information on how HSP Nicklin can help you, please contact us.
