NHS Ayrshire and Arran reveals £64.5m spend on agency staff

NHS Ayrshire and Arran has admitted they "need" agency staff to ensure patient safety after figures revealed they spent £64.5 million on agency staff since 2019.

NHS Ayrshire and Arran “need” agency staff to ensure the safety of patients.

Figures released following a Freedom of Information Request revealed that the health board had spent £64.5 million on agency nursing and locum consultants since 2019.

Spending on agency staff in Ayrshire and Arran doubled after the pandemic, rising from £8.17 million in 2019-20 to £16.59 million in 2022-23.

Last year, the total spend fell by 7.7 per cent to £15.31 million.

Across Scotland, more than £900 million has been spent on agency staff in the last five and half years.

South Scotland MSP Carol Mochan has called on the Scottish Government to “urgently address” recruitment issues while NHS Ayrshire and Arran have said they are “committed to reducing the agency staff spend”.

A spokesperson for NHS Ayrshire and Arran said: “There is an ongoing requirement to use nursing and medical agency staff to maintain the quality of clinical care and ensure patient safety. This is the case across all NHS Boards in Scotland.

“The reasons for this are multi-factorial and include gaps in permanent staffing, trends towards less than full time working, unscheduled absence, gaps in rotas and increased demand for services including emergency care and planned care.

“We are committed to reducing the agency staff spend and have clear management arrangements and escalation processes in place to reduce these costs.

“Before recruiting agency staff in order to maintain safe services, we consider all reasonable local contingencies. This includes working with existing staff, both full time and less than full time, to undertake additional hours.

“In addition, we consider shift changes to provide cover and also engage with the nursing and medical ‘bank’ staff providers to try and fill vacant shifts.

“The safety of our patients and staff remains the priority, and, at present there is a need to use agency staff to do this.”

Commenting, Ms Mochan said: “These figures on agency nursing and locum consultant doctors spend in Ayrshire and Arran highlight the extent of the chronic workforce shortage in the NHS.

“The SNP government’s lack of workforce planning has forced health boards to rely on locum and agency healthcare workers, costing the taxpayer millions.

“Our NHS workforce is at breaking point and staff are bearing the brunt of SNP failures to deliver.

“Scottish Labour is ready to deliver the change that Scotland’s NHS desperately needs.”

Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter