Nurse shortages are costing the NHS £2.4billion per year in agency staff wages
Agency nurses are drafted in to plug the gaps on wards and in community care, reaching a total of 79 million hours filled in last year
NURSE shortages are costing the NHS up to £2.4billion a year, research found.
The bill is for agency nurses who were brought in to plug gaps on wards and in community care when there were not enough staff to care for patients.
A lack of staff nurses meant agency workers had to fill in for a total of 79 million hours last year.
Figures for two thirds of NHS trusts, obtained by the Open University, showed they spent £1.46 billion on agency staff in 2017. Expanded to all 241 NHS trusts, the total bill could be £2.4billion.
The money is nearly three times more than it cost to hire 38,000 newly-qualified nurses – the current number of nurse vacancies.
If all the vacant posts were filled, the NHS could save up to £1.56 billion on agency staff costs.
Royal College of Nursing boss Janet Davies said more nurses were needed to cope with the increasing number of older, sicker people but not enough had been trained to meet the need.
At the RCN Congress in Belfast yesterday, she said: “The agencies have overheads so you’re paying for the agency and you’re paying for the person’s salary so it’s more expensive than directly employing somebody.
“It’s the market in play - market forces mean it is more expensive.”
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A Department of Health spokesman said: “The NHS would collapse without our wonderful nurses – the fact that the NHS is ranked as the safest healthcare system in the world is a testament to them.
"From this year we will train 25 per cent more nurses, are committed to helping them work more flexibly to improve their work/life balance and have awarded a pay rise.”