Locum pay has increased to its highest rate on record as one in 30 locum doctors are paid more than £120 an hour, reports the Independent with data from Liason, which processes hospital locum payments. The data shows that hourly pay for locums between October and December increased by 1.4% to £64.17. In 86% of cases, staff vacancy was the reason for booking a locum doctor, compared to 1.6% for sickness and 0.5% for maternity and paternity leave. Wages for agency staff were capped in 2015, in a bid to save money.