R2OK!

mark occomore · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 9955 Location: UK

Hospitals have paid over £120 an hour for agency workers to cover for gaps in staffing, according to latest figures.

The highest amounts paid for an agency nurse were £121.59 an hour by the Royal Berkshire trust and £121.10 by the Chesterfield and Royal Hospital trust.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7225180.stm

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God knows how much the agency gets before farming their staff out? It's really a poor state of affairs.

iwarburton · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 2133 Location: Northumberland

Agency staff will always cost a good bit more but this really does seem excessive. Unfortunately the Trusts concerned are probably over a barrel.

Ian.

RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

I have a relative in NHS nursing so I shall have to be careful what I say, or don't say.

Suffice to say I'm not in the least bit surprised that there is a gap in regular staffing, despite the huge increase in spending which the government keeps telling us they have made. Such qualified staff as remain are under enormous stress, one way or another, and I cannot see the situation improving.
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Ron

Briant · Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2008 5:04 pm Post subject: Agency Staff....

It was the same in Royal Mail when I worked there. Bring in agency staff when there was a backlog, and pay about three times the rate that the regular staff could do it for on overtime. 'The economics of the Madhouse' I used to call it. Rolling Eyes

Clive55 · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 1336

That works out at £80 an hour for the worker, £40 an hour for the agency
Still not bad pay