Figures obtained through freedom of information requests reveal that Scotland's 14 health boards spent £29,606,336.61 on locum psychiatrists in 2022/23, a significant increase from previous years. The use of agency locums is criticized as a costly temporary solution to staffing shortages in the NHS.
Figures obtained by freedom of information requests showed that Scotland 's 14 health boards splashed out £29,606,336.61 on locum psychiatrists in 2022/23.
Labour said "eye-watering sums of money are being wasted plugging gaps created by SNP incompetence" while the Lib Dems blamed "a long term refusal to invest in staffing and capacity". “They simply plug a short-term gap in our services and cost many, many times more than permanent doctors to employ. "A long term refusal to invest in staffing and capacity has left us with a situation where, particularly in rural and island areas, the only way to have any kind of staff presence at all is to pay through the nose for it in the form of locums. That has left health boards like NHS Fife paying vast bills for fewer staff than they could employ on permanent contracts.
NHS Scotland Locum Psychiatrists Spending Staffing Shortages
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