Scottish health board spends 'eye-watering' £2m on locum psychiatrists in a year
A Scottish health board spent an "eye-watering" more than £2 million on locum psychiatrists last year.
NHS Highland spent £2.1m on the stand in doctors in 2024 - up from £1.9m the year before.
Labour said the spend was "a direct result of the SNP's woeful lack of workforce planning and failure to support rural health boards."
The Lib Dems called for the Scottish Government to "end its shambolic approach to workforce planning and increase the number of consultant psychiatrists in training to plug these gaps."
The health board paid an average £100,000 to the 21 locum psychiatrists it employed last year.
The £2.1m spent was up from 2023, but was down from the 2022 figure of £2.2m. Before that its spend was about £1.2m per year.
Locum doctors generally cost the NHS more money because they are on short-term contracts. They are often necessary to provide cover but can cost two or three times the funds that a permanent doctor would.
Agency fees also drive up the cost of using locums as well as the increased hourly rate.
Scottish Labour Health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said "These eye-watering costs will starve local NHS services of resources they badly need.
"This is a direct result of the SNP's woeful lack of workforce planning and failure to support rural health boards.
"Once again taxpayers are paying the price for SNP incompetence.
"Our NHS is on life support as a result of SNP mismanagement and waste - it's time for a new direction."
Lib Dem MP Wendy Chamberlain said: 'There is a dangerous staffing crisis within NHS mental health services, with vacancies at particularly high levels in rural and remote parts of the country.
"Scottish Liberal Democrat research has previously revealed that 1 in 5 senior mental health roles are either lying empty or being filled on a temporary basis. That means longer waits for patients and vast amounts of money being spent on staff to try and plug gaps.
'The SNP Government needs to end its shambolic approach to workforce planning and increase the number of consultant psychiatrists in training to plug these gaps."
A spokesperson for NHS Highland said: "NHS Highland's priority is to deliver safe, high-quality, and person-centred mental health care and services.
"The reliance on locum staff highlights the psychiatric national workforce crisis.
"In response to meeting the needs of our patients, we put every effort into coordinating both in-person and virtual appointments through our network of clinicians within the board's area."
Mental Wellbeing Minister Tom Arthur said:
'We have record numbers of staff, providing more varied mental health support and services to a larger number of people than ever before. We have exceeded our commitment to recruit 800 additional Mental Health Workers to A&Es, GP practices, police station custody suites, and prisons.
'We are supporting NHS Boards to plan locally for service need and delivery. This has been supplemented by substantial investment in our future consultant workforce and the creation of several additional training places in psychiatry.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Eli Lilly ramps up UK price of weight loss jab Mounjaro after Trump demands
The price of the weight loss jab Mounjaro will rise by up to 170% in the UK, its US manufacturer has said, as Donald Trump ramps up pressure on drugmakers to increase their prices for Europeans so that they can make them more affordable for Americans. Eli Lilly has said it will increase the price of the drug from September, with a month's supply of the highest dose rising from £122 to £330. Mounjaro contains tirzepatide and is self-administered in once-a-week injections. When it launched in Britain in February 2024, Eli Lilly agreed to a list price 'significantly below' its other European markets to stop delays in availability of the medicine through the NHS. The increase in the list price will align it 'more consistently', the company said, although it added the NHS would not pay the new higher price to ensure continued access for the people with obesity and type 2 diabetes receiving it through the health service. Eli Lilly said it was working with private healthcare providers, which could negotiate their own confidential discounts with the company. Trump has threatened to use 'every tool in our arsenal' to crack down on pharmaceutical companies charging higher prices in the US compared with other nations. The US pays about three times more for drugs compared with other developed countries, according to the Rand Corporation thinktank. On 31 July, Trump sent letters to 17 of the world's biggest drugmakers, including Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, demanding cuts to drug prices for Americans within 60 days. 'Make no mistake: a collaborative effort towards achieving global pricing parity would be the most effective path for companies, the government and American patients,' Trump wrote. 'But if you refuse to step up we will deploy every tool in our arsenal to protect American families from continued abusive drug pricing practices. 'Americans are demanding lower drug prices, and they need them today.' In May, Trump told reporters that a friend in London had told him he had bought the 'fat shot drug' for $88, compared with $1,300 in New York. Pharmaceutical companies have cashed in on huge demand for weight loss treatments. Denmark's Novo Nordisk has become one of the most prominent names in the field, launching Wegovy in the UK in September 2023, turning it into one of the most valuable companies in Europe. While the jabs have increased profits at big pharmaceutical companies, they are racing to develop an equivalent pill, which would be a more convenient and cheaper alternative for patients and healthcare authorities. Eli Lilly said this month that a pill in early trial stages showed that participants on their highest dose lost an average of 12.4% of their body weight, compared with 0.9% of the control group. Novo Nordisk has submitted its oral weight loss drug for approval in the US. Its trial results showed that participants could lose about 15% of their body weight.
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Junior doctors strikes: NHS staff absence due to walkouts falls
NHS staff absences due to industrial action fell by 7.5 per cent compared with the last round of junior doctors' strikes, with 1,243 fewer staff absent during the most recent walkout. The analysis from the health service also found that more care was delivered during the five-day strike than in previous industrial action. Junior doctors, now known as resident doctors in the NHS, walked out for five days on July 25 in a dispute with the government over pay. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, and the British Medical Association (BMA) say they are continuing talks over the summer to prevent further strike action from the doctors. The NHS estimated that 11,071 more appointments and procedures went ahead as planned compared with industrial action from junior doctors in 2024. In previous industrial action, hospitals cancelled or rescheduled elective procedures to prepare for the walkouts. However, during this round of strikes, hospitals endeavoured to keep planned appointments going ahead as scheduled throughout the walk-outs. Streeting said the figures show the NHS 'was more resilient against last month's strike action than ever before'. 'We are getting on with the job of delivering progress in the face of strike action, and we will continue to put patients first,' he said. 'I had a constructive conversation with the BMA last week and I am glad they've agreed to continue engagement through the summer with the mutual aim of preventing further disruption to the NHS and patients.' Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS national medical director, said: 'It is very welcome news that the resident doctors committee has returned to talks, and we hope this leads to a resolution that avoids further disruption for patients.' Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts, said: 'Despite a five-day strike in July by some doctors, the NHS provided an estimated 11,000 more appointments and procedures compared to during their five-day walkout in July last year.' • NHS patients told to brace for strikes until Christmas and beyond 'We hope that talks between the union and the government bear fruit and that any more disruptive strikes can be avoided. NHS trust leaders want to focus on improving services for patients and doing everything they can to improve things for valued resident doctors.' The doctors' union has, however, said that the action 'was totally avoidable'. It has previously said that the difference in absences could not be accurately compared between the strike years due to changes in the numbers taking annual leave. A spokesman added: 'Had the government just come forward with a credible offer toward pay restoration for resident doctors, those doctors would have been at work. Instead, government inaction meant we saw yet more cancellations, delays and chaos in a health system that is already seeing far too much of all three. 'We hope government uses the opportunity of our ongoing talks to avoid any need for future action. Today's figures show there are far too many patients on waiting lists relying on a swift and just resolution to this dispute.' Separate NHS figures show that the health service delivered a record number of appointments in June, with 103,563 more treatments carried out than this time last year. The latest performance data from NHS England shows an estimated 7.37 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of June, relating to 6.23 million patients — up from 7.36 million treatments and just under 6.23 million patients at the end of May. The slight increase, which NHS officials have put down to more people coming forward for appointments, comes after the list fell for two consecutive months. The numbers waiting for more than 18 months to start treatment were also down to 1,103, from 1,237 in May. Some 10,517 patients had been waiting more than 65 weeks, down from 11,522 the previous month. This figure stood at 58,024 in June 2024. The number of patients waiting more than 52 weeks to start routine treatment also fell to 191,813 from 196,920 at the end of May. Tim Gardner, assistant director of policy at the Health Foundation, said: 'While summer is often a time for the NHS to catch its breath, today's data shows hospitals and ambulance services remain under relentless pressure.'
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Locals slam proposals to close Renfrewshire Disability Resource Centre
The service, which provides support for people with physical disabilities and sensory impairments, is one of several services that have been earmarked for closure by Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). It was recently reported that Renfrewshire HSCP has put wide-ranging cuts to health and social care services back on the table in an attempt to plug a multi-million-pound funding gap for the financial year 2026/27. Neil Bibby MSP, who led the meeting, was joined by Labour councillors Iain McMillan, Ben Smith, Carolann Davidson and Janis McDonald to hear from service users and their families about how the proposals have affected their mental and physical health. Bibby expressed concerns about the plans. He said: "When horrific proposals like this are made, it is crucial that the voices of those they affect are heard. "That is why it was so valuable – though deeply concerning – to listen first-hand to the views of DRC users and their families regarding the closure of their vital service they face. "The closure of the DRC proposed by Renfrewshire HSCP is simply unacceptable, and I will continue to do all I can to ensure that it and other essential services are saved from the axe. READ MORE: World's tallest cinema in Glasgow's could 'close any day' "But given the Scottish Government funds both Renfrewshire Council and the local health board – the bodies that make up the HSCP – ministers in Edinburgh should also set out what, if anything, they are going to do to prevent these proposals from becoming a reality.' Attendees also highlighted how central the DRC is to their quality of life through the social activities and services it provides, and many told of the huge anxiety its uncertain future has caused. McMillan added: "It was really humbling to hear first-hand what the DRC and other services that are under threat mean to service users and their families. "It is a disgrace that the HSCP finds itself in this position. "The Scottish Government should be ashamed of themselves as they have stood back and allowed this situation to develop." A spokesperson from Renfrewshire HSCP said: "We understand this is a worrying time for many, particularly unpaid carers and families who rely on day services and disability support. "We would like to make it clear that the proposal under consideration is not to close the DRC service, but to relocate it – allowing us to continue delivering services from fewer buildings across our portfolio. READ MORE: Will asylum seekers be housed in a former Glasgow care home? "This proposal also forms part of a wider review of services, including Learning Disability and Physical Disability Day Services, Older Adult Day Services, and Learning Disability Respite. "Like many public sector organisations across Scotland, the HSCP is facing significant financial pressures. "In response, the Integration Joint Board (IJB) is exploring ways to review and redesign services to ensure they remain sustainable while continuing to support those most in need. "In December 2024, IJB voting members considered approximately £19 million of potential savings across HSCP service areas. "This reflected their decision to identify savings of 10 per cent across all influenceable service budgets, wherever possible. "They agreed that £13.8m of this amount should be managed over the next three financial years through the redesign of internal service models. "The IJB also agreed that the proposals identified to make up the remaining shortfall should be further developed, with feedback gathered through public and staff engagement. "This period of engagement, which ran throughout June and into July 2025, offered people opportunities to share their views through face-to-face and online events, as well as through questionnaires. "It was designed to gather feedback from individuals, families, carers, and staff on how any proposed changes might affect people. "The feedback collected through these activities is currently being reviewed and will inform the updated impact assessments, which will be published ahead of the next IJB meeting on Friday, September 19, 2025. "We want to emphasise that no decisions will be made on any of the proposals before this meeting."
