Hospitals accused of flouting temp pay cap

A source at the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has claimed that hospitals are flouting the government's spending cap on temporary staff pay. Doctors are reportedly being paid for hours they have not worked, collecting up to six hours paid travel time and are refusing to cover locum shifts that attract lower rates of pay leaving A&E units short-staffed. The cap to temporary staff spending was put in place to address rising employee costs in the NHS, which look set to reach £4bn in 2016, placing significant strain on the organisation. The hope was that squeezing temporary staff pay would trigger a surge in permanent staff, easing the burden on overstretched departments that are struggling to cope with staff shortages. However the hospitals that are contravening the regulations have been condemned by the Patients Association and risk their allocation of fund being deemed as misappropriation.

GETTY The NHS bill will top £4billion this year

The shocking claims allege that doctors are refusing to work locum shifts for lower rates, leaving accident and emergency desperately short-staffed. According to president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Cliff Mann, some hospitals have resorted to claiming doctors have worked longer hours to swerve Government regulations.

GETTY It has meant that A&Es are being left short staffed

The NHS bill is set to top £4billion this year and the Government has imposed caps on temporary staff pay in a bid to curb spiralling costs. Dr Mann said: “You might be only working a ten-our shift but you claim six hours travelling either side of that, so you are paid for 16. “It’s one of the ways some of the peripheral units can overcome what’s happening.

GETTY The government has tried to curb locum doctors pay

“Sooner or later someone is going to stand up and say ‘this is misappropriation and can’t be countenanced.’” The new regulations are said to tighten Friday rates for temporary staff which sees them paid no more than 55 per cent higher than permanent pay. Health chiefs hope it will encourage more people to take on full-time jobs as hospitals struggle with staff shortages.

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It was revealed that locum doctors are being paid thousands of pounds a day and even more than £100 an hour in some cases. According to data gathered by recruitment company MSI Group, 96 per cent of NHS Trusts have been forced to use agencies outside of approved frameworks in order to maintain patient safety. The manager of one A&E unit in the north of England said: “Since the introduction of the locum cap we have had a significant increase in the number of gaps unfilled, which is detrimental to patient care and safety.”

GETTY Doctors are allegedly being paid for more hours than they actually do