The NHS is shelling out thousands of pounds to recruitment
agencies to cover single midwife shifts, as staffing shortages in
the health service reach crisis point.
This year, NHS trusts in England spent over £112 million on
agency and bank midwives, a 22% increase on spending in
2021/22. In total over the past 5 years, the NHS in
England has paid £422 million to agency firms and bank midwives,
while spend on agency midwives is estimated to have increased by
half since 2018. A freedom of information request to NHS trusts
reveals that the spending has increased every year since
2018, despite the Conservative Government promising to bear
down on the use of temporary staffing agencies.
Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust paid £2,140 for a single
agency midwife shift in 2022/23, with around one in three
trusts which responded admitting they spent over £1,000 for a
single midwife shift last year. The highest spend from one Trust
was at The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust,
which spent £16,700,000 on agency midwives over the
last year.
Worsening staff shortages mean trusts are heavily reliant on bank
and agency staff and are forced to pay firms over the odds.
Currently, according to the Royal College of
Midwives, there is a shortfall of over 2,500
midwives in England.
A report from the Royal College of Midwives found that staffing
levels were repeatedly cited as a cause for concern around the
safety of care, and that midwives and maternity support workers
are exhausted and burnt out. Seven out of ten (72%) survey
respondents reported calling in bank or agency staff nearly every
day.
, Shadow
Health Minister said:
“The Conservatives have failed to train enough midwives over the
past 13 years, leaving the NHS at the mercy of rip-off
recruitment agencies.
“Millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money is being leached out of
the health service, while pregnant mothers are turned away from
maternity units due to a lack of midwives.
“Labour will train the midwives that the NHS needs to give
mothers and babies the care they deserve.”
Ends
Notes
- All Freedom of Information requests data were submitted to
NHS Maternity Units in England in April 2023. 86 Trusts responded
to the request to the FOI, a response rate of 71%
- The Royal College of Midwives has also published reports on
the use of agency and bank staff, based in part on results of
their FoI requests. The most recent example available online is
from 2017:
RCM-Midwifery-Agency-Bank-and-Overtime-Spending-Report-2017.pdf (emap.com)
- This 2017 report notes that “While bank and overtime spending
are much better value for money than agency spending it is clear
that organisations are far too reliant on temporary
staffing.”
- The 2021 NHS staff survey revealed that 87% of midwives did
not think there is enough staff at their organisation for them to
do their job properly. The 2022 Maternity survey [statistical
release] that details the 2021 NHS staff survey is attached to
this email.
- Figures from the Royal College of Midwives
(RCM) show that there is a shortfall of over 2500
midwives in NHS England.
- Seven out of ten (72%) survey respondents
reported calling in bank or agency staff nearly every
day.
- Four in ten maternity units closed temporarily last year
due to staff shortages
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11823625/Lack-staff-forced-four-ten-NHS-maternity-units-turn-away-expectant-mothers-year.html
