Three local snapshots provide a view of the current state of the Healthcare staffing sector. In Oxfordshire, the money spent on agency staff and locum doctors,to deal with a rise in hospital patients dramatically increased, according to figures published by the Oxford Mail show. Health bosses say the rise was due to the need to bring in temporary staff while permanent ones were being recruited, adding that the use of temporary staff will fall this year.

When total staff costs for both John Radcliffe Hospital and Banbury’s Horton General Hospital are added together, a total of £1.45 million was spent in 2012-13 on doctors – up from £1.18 million in 2009-10; while £766,255 was spent in 2012-13 on nurses – up from £135,813 spent there in 2009-10. This is a +22% rise for doctors spending and a +464% rise for spending on nurses.

According to figures provided under a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Labour Party, temporary nursing cover costs at Oxford’s John Radcliffe (JR) went from £104,291 from 2009-10 to £650,102 in 2012-13. Temporary doctor cover costs at the JR went from £696,865 in 2009-10 to £837,620 in 2012-13. And £423,355 was spent from April to the end of January on doctors, along with £340,782 on nurses in the same period. At the JR and Horton General, the full staffing complement is 13 junior doctors and registrars, 12.35 consultants, 26.45 other staff and 154.57 nursing staff.

According to Royal College of Nursing officer Victoria Couling said: “Our experience shows that when a hospital becomes over reliant on agency staff, it can be a warning sign that they are not recruiting the permanent staff they need… Over reliance on these staff can be expensive, though a significant amount of the cost goes to the agency rather than the nurse. …The hospital has had a high number of vacancies over a number of years, and like many trusts is now playing catch-up…Sadly there is no quick fix, especially when there is a shortage of nurses in the UK.”

Mr Brennan, Director of clinical services , said: “In 2011-2012, it was decided that the number of posts for both doctors and nurses needed to be increased and these posts were filled with locum and agency staff while staff were recruited…We have now successfully recruited to posts at all grades and reduced our reliance on agency and locum staff, while ensuring that the unit is staffed to deliver safe and quality care…There will always be a need for locum or agency staff to cover for unexpected factors such as staff shortages due to sickness, leave, etc.”

The Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust spent almost £4 million during the financial year 2012/2013 on temporary staff for just one department according to the Yellow Advertiser.  The money has been used to pay for various grades of staff – including consultants – to keep running the accident and emergency department at Queen’s Hospital, Romford.

The shortage of staffing levels was highlighted by the Care Quality Commission’s report in February.  Hospital bosses said they had to pay the enormous bill because of staff shortages and because locum staff cost more than permanent staff.

The trust’s medical director Stephen Burgess said the spending was unavoidable as it kept the department working at a safe level.  He said: “In areas where it is particularly difficult to recruit consultants – such as emergency care – we occasionally have to pay more than we would like to ensure that shifts are covered and patients are receiving the best possible care…We are aware that having permanent staff in place leads to enhanced continuity of care and therefore an improved patient experience [and] we are continuing to work tirelessly to recruit and retain high-quality permanent staff in our emergency departments.”

Meanwhile, Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is to head overseas to recruit nurses for the first time in eight years according to the Echo. Representatives from the trust will be heading to Spain and Ireland to enable the hospital to strengthen its full time local nursing teams and address recruitment issues caused by the national shortage of trained nurses.

Sue Hardy, chief nurse, said: "Competition for qualified nursing staff is extremely fierce in the UK and there are simply not enough nurses to fill all the posts available in our hospital…As a result we have to employ temporary agency staff which is much more expensive and not sustainable in the longer term…We recruit very actively locally, and across the UK and having reviewed our ward based nursing establishment and our current vacancies we are now looking to recruit an extra 120 nurses."

Eight years ago the trust successfully recruited nursing staff from the Philippines, many of whom remain as committed and valued members of the workforce at Southend Hospital. The trust is now aiming to welcome three new cohorts of overseas staff over the next year to again boost its permanent staffing numbers. The intake has been staggered to ensure the new nurses, who will fill roles throughout the organisation, are fully supported to adapt to life in Southend.