§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the cost by year, for the last five years, to the Trent regional health authority, by area health authority, for employing locum doctors; what has been the national average over the same period; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Mellor[holding answer 12 December 1988]: Figures derived from the annual accounts of the district health authorities comprising the Trent region are shown in the table.
Equivalent expenditure in England represents an approximate annual average per authority (district health authorities and the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals) as follows:
£ thousand (cash) 1983–84 35 1984–85 51 1985–86 81 1986–87 131 1987–88 215 However, these averages include data for the four Thames regions which tend to spend more in this category than other regions.
In November 1988, health authorities were advised of the maximum rate they should pay to agencies supplying locum doctors for work in hospitals from 12 December 1988. We have no evidence that the advice has led to any significant reduction in the number of available agency locums; and we are currently considering the outcome of widespread consultation on guidance to be issued to health authorities on their employment.
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Expenditure on Non-NHS Staff (Agency, Etc)—Medical £ cash Trent Region 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 District Health Authorities North Derbyshire — — — 10,340 4,149 Southern Derbyshire 14,829 — — — 330,215 Leicestershire 660 — — — 2,043 North Lincolnshire — — — 2,706 19,903 South Lincolnshire — 230 53,968 128,774 461,371 Bassetlaw — — — — — Central Nottinghamshire — — — — — Nottingham — — — 11,361 6,130 Barnsley 168 358 262 42,685 23,990 Doncaster — 6,079 49,060 204,049 164,169 Rotherham 1,261 — — — 28,748 Sheffield 12,765 477,968 606,789 653,210 855,549 Total 29,683 484,635 710,079 1,053,125 1,896,257 Note:
The figures relate to the health authorities' provision of hospital and community health services and exclude the costs of directly employed NHS medical staff engaged on locum duties.