Figures released by the Irish Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show spending on agency nurses across the Republic of Ireland continued to rise throughout 2012, according to a report by the Irish Times.

One agency, Nurse on Call, with a supplier monopoly across four regions saw its revenues nearly double from €22.7 million to €43.1 million. Another agency, CPL, generated revenue of €43.8 million in 2012, an increase of +48% compared with 2011.

The HSE figures report that agency spending on clinical and non-clinical staff, in addition to other services, fell by -7% last year, from €176.5 million to €164.7 million. This reflected a -30% reduction in the costs for agency doctors. During the same period spending on agency nurses increased by +17%.

Two other firms saw a sharp drop in revenue from the HSE last year: Locum Express dropped by -46.5% and TTM Healthcare by -45%. The five agencies used most often by HSE for nursing staff reflected a +17% increase in revenue, from €105 million in 2011 to €123 million in 2012.