NHS trusts in England are spending at least £1.46 billion on temporary nursing staff a year, according to a report from the Open University.

The report, ‘Tackling the nurse shortage’, is based on Freedom of Information requests to 241 NHS trusts in which 146 trusts responded. The data showed that at least £1.46 billion is spent on temporary nursing staff, either from the bank, also known as a roster of nurses that are contacted when shifts become available but can say no to the invitation of work, or from external agencies. Open University added that the real figure could be as high as £2.4 billion.

Open University stated that if the £1.46 billion were reinvested then the NHS could secure the services of 66,000 newly qualified registered nurses, more than fillling existing vacancies.

Furthermore, according to the report, if the hours currently worked by temporary staff  were instead covered by permanent nurses, the NHS could save as much as £560 million a year.

Figures from the Royal College of Nursing showed that 40,000 nursing jobs in England are currently unfilled.

“Through apprenticeships, healthcare providers can take a sustainable long-term approach to addressing the nursing shortage,” the report stated. “By nurturing existing talent, employers can invest in the future rather than relying on short-term fixes, allowing them to make greater efficiencies.”

Jan Draper, professor of Nursing at the Open University, commented, “It is clear that there needs to be a sustainable solution that increases and enhances the nursing workforce in the mid- and long-term, to ensure that our health services are protected against future changes and hardships.”

Janet Davies, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, also commented, “Short-sightedness in recent years has left tens of thousands of unfilled nurse jobs, to the severe detriment of patient care.”

“Workforce planning has been ineffective and dictated by the state of finances, not the needs of patients,” Davies said. “It is further proof that cost-cutting plans saved no money at all and – instead – increased agency costs, recruitment fees and the sickness absence bill through rising stress.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said to The Independent, “The NHS would collapse without our wonderful nurses – the fact that the NHS is ranked as the safest healthcare system in the world is a testament to them. From this year we will train 25% more nurses, are committed to helping them work more flexibly to improve their work-life balance and have awarded a pay rise of between 6.5% and 29%, in a deal backed by the Royal College of Nursing."

 Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt ordered a clampdown in 2015 on the use of agency staff  by the NHS which included new rules that limit the use of agency staff.