NHS trusts relying on the same agency workers for years on end

NHS trusts relying on the same agency workers for years on end NHS trusts are hiring “temporary” agency workers for as long as 13 years at a time, an investigation reveals.

Health officials have repeatedly vowed to clamp down on use of such workers, who can expect higher rates of pay and greater flexibility about when they work.

But the new figures show that trusts are routinely using the placement - which are supposed to be used as a short-term measure, to plug staffing gaps - for years on end.

In total the NHS has spent £16.9bn on agency staff since 2012/13 – an average of £2.8bn a year, the statistics show. The Daily Telegraph