£1.4m spent on ageny nurses at Russells Hall Hospital

Around £1.4 million has been spent on agency nurses since a Black Country hospital set up a staff bank made up of hundreds of workers to reduce costs, it can be revealed today.

Since setting up the bank in April, which now has 650 staff registered, the trust that runs Dudley's Russells Hall Hospital today revealed it has still spent on average £466,000 a month hiring agency nurses.

The Express & Star reported earlier this year how the trust was setting up a pool of nurses and clinical workers to drive down costs.

But chief executive Paula Clark has admitted it would be some time before the trust could stop relying on external workers to provide cover.

She said: "From April to June, we spent £1.4m on agency nursing to ensure the most appropriate number of nursing staff were available. As our staff bank becomes more established it is our intention to reduce our reliance on external staff."

Bosses spent more than £10m in 2009/10 on agency workers.

Meanwhile, Walsall Manor Hospital spent £4.7m on agency staff in 2009/10, up from £3.2m the previous year.

Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Stafford and Cannock hospitals, spent £3.8m last year, double the £1.9m in the previous 12 months.

Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust last year saw a fall in the amount paid out for temporary employees, with an outlay of £6.2m compared to £6.6m a year earlier.