From BBC Scotland today:
Spending on NHS temporary staff in Scotland reaches record high – Annual spending on NHS temporary staff in Scotland has risen to a record high of more than £560m – a rise of over a third compared with the previous year.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65821861?at_link_id=CDD99680-046B-11EE-A8D7-3A223AE5AB7B&at_bbc_team=editorial&at_campaign_type=owned&at_link_origin=BBCScotlandNews&at_ptr_name=twitter&at_campaign=Social_Flow&at_medium=social&at_link_type=web_link&at_format=link
Not mentioned in the BBC Scotland report:
An investigation by the Labour Party showed that during 2021-22 60 trusts in England spent more than £800m on temporary staff and the total spend on bank staffing exceeded £1.7bn. Extrapolating these figures to all trusts in England would mean that the total spend on temporary staffing across the NHS amounted to £8.9bn.
https://www.bmj.com/content/379/bmj.o2749#:~:text=An%20investigation%20by%20the%20Labour,staffing%20exceeded%20%C2%A31.7bn.
So, 10 times the population, all things being equal, NHS England might have been expected to spend 10 times as much on temporary staff, £5.6 billion. They spent £8.9 billion, 58.9% more.
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Talking-up Scotland 
AND ALL THE BLAME FOR AY EXTRA EXPENDITURE
IS FIRM THE BLAME OF GREEDY TORIES WANTING THE NHS TO FAIL
WHICH WILL BE A FEEDING FRENZY FOR ALL GREEDY BARSTEWARDS
TORIES
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I noted in the BBC News article on bank and agency staff costs in NHS Scotland this from the Labour spokesperson Jackie Baillie MSP: “It is clear for all to see that a decade and a half of SNP failure has left our NHS facing a perfect storm of falling staffing levels and soaring agency costs.
“From soaring agency bills to lengthening NHS waits, the people of Scotland are now paying the full price of SNP incompetence and useless Humza Yousaf’s disastrous track record as health secretary.”
Strong condemnation of Scotland’s devolved government and a personal attack on one individual minister— ‘incompetence’, ‘useless’, ‘disastrous’.
So what must Ms Baillie think – or perhaps more importantly, what does she believe voters in Wales should think – about this?
‘The eye-watering amount the Welsh NHS spends on agency staff – in the past five years agency spend has almost doubled’ – from Wales Online (12 January 2023)
See https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/eye-watering-amount-welsh-nhs-25952985
‘The Welsh NHS spent a colossal £260m on agency and bank staff in the last year to help fill gaps in rotas, new figures have shown. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) in Wales claims the spend for 2021-22, which is UP 36% WHEN COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS FINANCIAL YEAR (£191.5m), highlights chronic and serious shortages in the workforce. (my emphasis)
‘Agency nurses, who are often paid substantially more than permanent NHS staff, are typically brought in by health boards across Wales due to high vacancy rates or sickness levels. Meanwhile bank staff are used as a less expensive alternative mode of flexible workers who want to work in the NHS when there is a need for temporary workers. The Royal College of Nursing estimates there are AROUND 3,000 NURSING VACANCIES at present.’
The Wales Audit Office on 22 January 2019 published a report entitled: ‘Expenditure on agency staff by NHS Wales’. Even back then the report found that ‘NHS bodies in Wales collectively spent over £160 million on agency staff in 2016- 17, MORE THAN FOUR TIMES THE EQUIVALENT FIGURE FOR 2012-13.’
NHS workforce challenges have long impacted NHS organisations across the nations of the UK. Only NHS England is resourced by a government with untrammelled access to fiscal and monetary policy powers, a government whose policies led to workforce disruption due to Brexit and a government in control (!) of immigration policies.
However, nowhere are NHS issues more deeply and regularly politicised than in Scotland. Tory and Labour politicians are free to make political capital out of what have become inherent UK-wide NHS problems. This is possible because the corporate media and in particular BBC Scotland rarely if ever question them on the track record of their own parties – and their health and social care policies – which have long been the responsible governments for the NHS in England and Wales respectively.
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My assist, stewartb bursts the net, again!
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SNHS funding in Scotland £13Billion.+ social care. A higher elderly % of the population. A minor spend on private healthcare. Often given as ‘benefit’ and taxed, through employment. Agency staff can receive more but need the money. One parent families. Or nursing bank staff who cannot work full hours because of family commitment they need more flexible hours. Still saving lives and caring for people. The SNHS one of Scotland highest funding commitments. Supported by the majority who use the healthcare sector.
Drug and alcohol rehab has to be funded privately because (unionist) heakth board do not provide facilities. The Scottish Gov has provided £250million over five years to fund more proper ‘total abstinence’ rehab facilities. Instead of (unionists) councils putting people on methadone for years. All the drug deaths in Scotland are related to people prescribed methadone and then taking other substances. Keeping people off drugs when they are young is a more responsible policy. Prevention is better than cure. Drugs can be obtained from the internet. The dangers of addiction can be shared and overcome,
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Just to throw this quote in from a Doctor who spends one day in surgery
Sandesh Gulhane said that Scotland is ‘not an attractive place’ to live during an interview with the BBC
I have asked him why is he here then.
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O/T
Hope this is true I don’t know the whole story.
Lloyds Banking Group to launch £600m auction of Telegraph and Spectator after seizing control of the titles following battle with Barclay family over HBOS loans. Lloyds said to have already appointed AlixPartners as receivers to Bermuda-based entity B UK
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Lloyds Banking Group to launch £600m auction of Telegraph and Spectator after seizing control of the titles following battle with Barclay family over HBOS loans. Lloyds said to have already appointed AlixPartners as receivers to Bermuda-based entity B UK
Hope this is true
I think I made a mistake when trying to post this so if it appears twice my appoligises
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Your appoligises excepted! Jhon
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