Trust pays an agency nurse £2,200 a day
This story is absolutely shocking. Its not an isolated event. At a more prosaic level if the average hourly fee for home care is £16.80 how is it that those delivering it in some cases get the minimum wage minus their travel costs? There is definitely a “third way” outside of state and private control and that is further delivery of non acute services at least by place based mutual. I have demonstrated how the formation of village companies can deliver surpluses, allow longer average visits and pay the living wage plus travel to locally recruited care workers to those in receipt of domiciliary care. I think there is loads more scope for rural innovation in that context and in relation to other rural health services. Watch this space! In the meantime…..
An NHS hospital has been criticsed for paying an agency nurse £2,200 to work a single 12 hour shift.
The record sum – a rate of £183.33 an hour – was paid by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, a Freedom of Information request has disclosed.
Last month an investigation found trusts paying nurses rates of more than £1,700 per shift, amid spiralling staff shortages, and an increased reliance on workers from overseas.