Temporary staff bill at under pressure hospital hits £1.5m in a month
The cost of temporary workers at an under pressure hospital has risen again to more than £1.5 million a month, latest figures have revealed.
The bill for locum, agency and bank workers at Walsall Manor hit £1.525m during May, a report to health chiefs showed.
This was an increase on the £1.3m in March and £1.4m cost in April. Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust has been looking to cut down on temporary workers after the monthly bill hit £2m last year.
The overall rise was mainly due to locum costs, with the amount spent on agency and bank having gone down slightly.
In a report to the board which runs the hospital trust, director of finance Ian Baines said: "Temporary staffing usage increased marginally in May.
"This is due to expenditure on locum doctors, primarily in anaesthetics where maternity leave and covering vacancies continue to put pressure on this budget."
