Briggs lambasts NHS governance as agency nursing costs spiral

NHS Lothian has spent £27,431,650 on bank and agency nurses in 2017/18 – an increase of £8,717,713 from 2012/13 spending levels, £18,713,937 according to latest figures.

The statistics from ISD Scotland reveal that the number of nurses leaving Scotland’s NHS has reached a new high. NHS Lothian’s reliance on bank and agency nurses has risen to plug the gap.

Nurses are looking to get out of the profession in record numbers, according to the Scottish Conservatives, who say that hardly a week goes by when the SNP’s disastrous management of the NHS isn’t exposed.

They claim the SNP government’s obsession with securing a second referendum has led to a neglect of the NHS with patients and staff being the ones who are paying the price.

Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative Health Spokesman, said: “It is alarming that there has been a 47% increase in spending on bank and agency nurses in NHS Lothian over the last five years.

“There is an clear link between the number of Nurses leaving NHS Lothian and the significant increase in bank and agency nurse spending. The Scottish Government’s inability to retain Nurses just goes to show the total mismanagement of NHS Scotland’s workforce by SNP Ministers.”

See the below table for the increase in your local NHS Board:

Spend (£)
	2017/18	2012/13	Increase	Percentage Increase
EAST REGION
NHS Borders	3,526,283	2,132,064	1,394,219	65
NHS Fife	9,139,735	5,871,837	3,267,898	56
NHS Lothian	27,431,650	18,713,937	8,717,713	47
NORTH REGION
NHS Highland	8,875,722	6,170,235	2,705,487	44
NHS Grampian	21,165,914	14,317,470	6,848,444	48
NHS Orkney	347,021	326,262	20,759	6
NHS Tayside	10,221,049	4,011,804	6,209,245	155
NHS Western Isles	892,364	464,790	427,574	92
NHS Shetland	361,148	223,095	138,053	62
WEST REGION
NHS Ayrshire & Arran	7,715,567	3,524,217	4,191,350	119
NHS Greater Glasgow &                Clyde	56,593,823	33,435,741	23,158,082	69
NHS Lanarkshire	18,457,491	13,569,669	4,887,822	36
NHS Forth Valley	8,049,898	6,586,890	1,463,008	22
NHS Dumfries & Galloway	2,400,318	1,410,825	989,493	70

Notes:

IDS, NHS Scotland Workforce Report, 31 March 2018, Link

Audit Scotland, NHS Financial Performance, Oct 2013 Link

2017/2018 figure calculated as an average of £17 per hour for bank and £47 per hour for agency. These per hour rates were calculated from total spent on bank (£152.1 million) and agency (£23.6 million) divided by the total number of hours of each (8,976,289 and 501,693). Total spent figure was taken from the IDS report.

2012/2013 figure calculated as an average of £15 per hour for bank and £36 per hour for agency. These per hour rates were calculated from total spent on bank (£104.2 million) and agency (£6.4million) divided by the total number of hours of each (6,968,524 and 179,380). Total spent figure was taken from the Audit Scotland report.