Scottish opposition leaders have accused ministers of mismanaging the NHS after the ‘staggering’ costs of hiring emergency psychiatrists came to light.
The Liberal Democrats, Labor and Conservatives will this week press Scotland’s health ministers to explain why the health service has spent more than £130 million hiring temporary psychiatrists for routine mental health appointments over the past five years .
A joint investigation by the Guardian and BBC Scotland found that NHS boards were paying up to £837 an hour to hire local psychiatrists from agencies due to a national shortage of consultant psychiatrists.
Alex Cole-Hamilton, the Scottish Lib Dem leader, said: “These are truly breathtaking figures. I think the average Scot will be shocked that, instead of recruiting and training permanent staff, health boards are sending millions of pounds to recruitment agencies charging hundreds of pounds an hour. It’s almost the definition of a false economy.”
Paul Sweeney, Scottish Labor spokesperson on mental health, said this level of spending is unsustainable. “The NHS is being held hostage because the SNP has failed to recruit and retain staff for years,” he said.
“With many NHS workers reporting burnout and pressure on hospitals at an all-time high, the Scottish National Party must prioritize improving working conditions so that a career in the NHS once again becomes the pinnacle of ambition.”
Data released by Scotland’s fourteen NHS boards shows that some private companies have made up to £19.5 million from supplying locum psychiatrists in the past five years.
While some boards hire their own staff as deputies, working overtime or during their holidays at higher rates, more than a third of the £134 million spent since 2019 has gone on emergency cover from private companies.
The cost of that emergency coverage has increased year after year. Nearly £15 million was spent on emergency contracts in the 2023 budget, despite an attempt by ministers to ban their routine use in May 2023.
NHS Tayside had spent £30.5 million on locum psychiatrists hired on long-term and emergency contracts, rising to a record £7.7 million last year, while NHS Fife spent £29.5 million, of which £9, 5 million last year.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists, which sets professional standards for psychiatrists, warned that some locums were not fully qualified for the posts they held or were not members of the royal college. Some worked remotely, from outside Scotland.
The patient advocacy campaign Vox Scotland published the results of a survey of nearly 500 patients, which found that half of those treated by an observer were unhappy with their experience.
Some said they experienced disrupted and superficial care after being seen by multiple people, with different observers giving different treatments or medications.
The recruitment industry argues that locums are essential within the NHS and many doctors are now choosing such work because they want more flexibility and control over their working hours.
Kate Shoesmith, deputy chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, said: “True sustainability lies in a healthcare workforce strategy that effectively engages, develops, deploys, rewards and supports all employees, whether they are substantive, bank or institutional. work.
“This approach eliminates the need for frequent, costly last-minute adjustments, ensuring a cohesive and functional agency model.”
Maree Todd, Scotland’s mental health secretary, said: “(NHS Scotland’s) staff salary is over £9 billion a year, while spending on local psychiatrists is only a small part of this.”
She added that there were “clear expectations that agency expenditure outside the framework should be minimized as much as possible to continue to provide vital services during times of unplanned absences, illness and increased unforeseen activities”.