Substitute doctors and nurses in the UK are said to be earning significantly more than their NHS counterparts by working for staffing agencies which have been deemed “rip-off” agencies, and has sent the NHS into deficit, reports the Guardian.

Claims that the use of staffing agencies has deprived the NHS of money for treating patients and forced the NHS into deficit have been made in light of a response to a Freedom of Information Act request from Monitor (the regulator for health services in England) and the NHS TDA (Trust Development Authority).

In November 2015, an NHS cap on staffing agency spending came into effect in a bid to save money. However, the move has proved controversial, as APSCo and the REC have criticized the move, with the REC releasing data that shows patient safety is at risk if the NHS can’t turn to staffing agencies. APSCo also responded by questioning the integrity of the NHS’s claim of saving millions by clamping down on staffing agencies.

The NHS is calling for doctors and nurses who work for agencies to return to the NHS in a bid to reduce the hospitals' bill. This comes at a time when junior doctors are preparing to go on strike on Wednesday over wages and conditions.

According to the Monitor and NHS TDA, "It can't be fair that a doctor or nurse working for an agency is being paid significantly more than a colleague doing the same job but working for the NHS. We've put in place measures which will tackle rip-off agencies whose use has pushed the NHS into deficit and taken money away from treating patients."

The two regulators will merge this year to become NHS Improvement. They have stated that the use of staffing agencies can be “vital” but claim that overusing the services is unaffordable.