NIAO flags up locum cost concerns
Locum spending almost trebled between 2011/12 and 2017/18, said the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO). Spending stood at £28.4m in 2011/12 but rose to £83m five years later. This included sharp rises between 2015/16 and 2017/18, with annual costs up by nearly 57%.
Agency doctors accounted for almost 90% (£73.5m) of locum medical expenditure in 2017/18. Most trusts relied increasingly on non-contracted agencies (those without agreed rates). In 2017/18, 29% of total agency spend went to non-contracted agencies.
![Kieran Donnelly Kieran Donnelly](/sites/default/files/kieran-donnellyd7030bce1ab7692cb427ff0000b8cb05.jpg)
The NIAO said clinical negligence costs, including estimated costs of unsettled cases, had risen by 56%.
The overall cost was £252m in the period 2007/08 to 2011/12, but rose to £393.5m in the following five years. Mr Donnelly said steps had been taken to enhance patient safety, but more work was needed.Related content
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