The REC recently hit back at the way the Department of Health focuses on the money that is spent on locum staff instead of concentrating on the advantages they bring to the National Health Service.
Recent figures, obtained by the RCS, show an increase in the cost of hiring temporary NHS hospital doctors to more than £750 million each year since the Working Time Regulations were introduced. In the past year, annual spending on locum doctors for our hospitals has risen by almost £200 million and since 2007 the amount spent has nearly doubled. £250 million per year is spent just on surgical locums.
The president of the RCS, John Black, said he thought it was ridiculous to be spending so much on locums at a time when sweeping cuts are being made to services. The RCS is now asking the coalition to opt out of the Working Time Regulations and warn that 400,000 surgical hours per month are being lost and yet staff are still expected to manage the same workload.
However, the REC’s director of policy, Tom Hadley, believes this would be a step backwards and would not benefit an efficient healthcare service that looks after the well-being of both patients and staff. He also questioned whether we want to return to the days of an 80 hour working week for doctors, when locums are cost-effective and provide a flexible solution to spreading the load.
Having a supply of experienced, vetted locums is essential if we want to deliver front-line services and it should be seen as a huge advantage, he added. The REC will carry on working with the Department of Health and associated procurement organisations to come up with ways of balancing the cost whilst ensuring a sustainable supply and guaranteeing patient safety.
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