South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon has written to Pearse Butler, head of the new East of England Strategic Health Authority, and asked him to help local NHS Trusts get a better understanding of their staffing needs, as a new report finds the NHS in the Eastern region spends the third highest proportion of its nursing paybill on temporary nursing staff in England.

Mr Bacon, a member of the Commons public accounts committee, was speaking as the National Audit Office (NAO) published its report on the use of temporary nursing staff in NHS acute trusts.

The report finds that Trusts have paid little attention to managing the demand for temporary nursing staff and do not have the information available to understand their actual staffing needs. NHS Trusts in the East of England spend just under 10 per cent of the region’s total nursing paybill on temporary nursing staff, the third highest proportion in England behind London and the South East.

Mr Bacon said today: “It is disappointing that many Trusts don’t have accurate and up-to-date information on their staffing needs. Trusts need to gather this information and look at how they can improve the management of their permanent nursing staff, for example, by more effective rostering and increased flexibility in their contracts”.

“Given that the NHS is currently tackling huge deficits, it is important that temporary nursing staff take up no more of the NHS paybill than is absolutely necessary. More effective control over the demand for nurses could save the NHS as much as £50 million and I have asked Pearse Butler to help the NHS Trusts in the Eastern region get a better understanding of their staffing needs”.

12 July 2006

See also:
NAO REPORT: Improving the use of temporary nursing staff