Spending on Agency Doctors doubled since 1999

6.19.06pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 28th Feb 2005

The amount spent on agency doctors at Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust since 1999 has almost doubled, to £1,193,000.

Figures obtained by MP for Sutton and Cheam, Paul Burstow, show the health service trust expenditure on temporary doctors for Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust. In 1999 just under £600,000 was being spent on agency doctors. In 2004 this had increased to £1,193,087.

Paul Burstow, who is also Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, commented:

"Spending on temporary staff is out of control.  Successive governments have failed to recognise the chronic shortage of staff in the NHS.

"Dependency on agency doctors is not good for patients.  It exposes people to greater risks of infection. With agency staff moving more frequently between wards and hospitals there is an increased risk that infection is spread. No effort must be spared in filling vacancies.

"Eight years in office and the bill for agency staff still continues to rise. It is staggering that so much has been spent on agency doctors since Labour came to power. The latest figure is a measure of this Government's failure to recruit and retain permanent NHS staff. Use of agency staff needs to be organized more efficiently. Too much of the extra money the taxpayer is investing in the NHS is going on plugging gaps with costly agency staff."