The SNP government is under fire for spending nearly £1 billion on temporary healthcare staff, raising concerns about NHS staffing issues.
Glasgow: The NHS is in a tough spot. Taxpayers have forked out almost £1 billion on agency nurses and locum doctors. This spending has shot up since before the pandemic.
Jackie Baillie, the Scottish Labour deputy leader, is not holding back. She says these numbers show the NHS is under serious pressure. The SNP has failed to recruit and keep staff, and it’s costing us big time.
She pointed out that after nearly 18 years of SNP rule, staff are worn out and demoralized. Vacancies aren’t being filled, and that’s draining taxpayer money.
Critics are saying that staffing shortages are a major issue for the NHS. It’s struggling to keep up with rising demand.
Labour has shared figures showing just how much the public is paying to fill these gaps. Back in 2019/20, NHS boards spent £39.7 million on agency nurses. Fast forward to 2023/24, and that number jumped to over £151 million.
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde saw its spending rise from £4.7 million to £28.5 million. NHS Lothian went from £4.4 million to £17.2 million, while NHS Lanarkshire’s costs soared from £2.9 million to £24.7 million. The highest spending year was 2022/23, with a whopping £169.3 million spent.
On top of that, spending on locum consultants also skyrocketed, going from £64.2 million to £95 million. Since 2019, that adds up to £400 million. NHS Fife and NHS Highland also saw significant increases in their costs.
Baillie is calling for a 10-year workforce plan for Scotland’s NHS. She wants to create more training spots for nurses and doctors, ensuring the needs of future patients are met.
Meanwhile, new stats show A&E waits are at an all-time high. In 2024, nearly half a million patients waited over four hours. That’s a staggering increase compared to 2021.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government defended the spending, saying the NHS pay bill is over £10 billion a year. They argue that using temporary staff is necessary for covering absences and unexpected demand.
They also mentioned that they’re working on reducing reliance on agency staff to get the best value for patient care.
