Exclusive: £1m bill for staff suspended by NHS in Yorkshire

An investigation by the Yorkshire Post has found more than 50 doctors, dentists and nurses in the region are excluded from work or have been moved to non-clinical duties – including at least six for more than a year.

The largest figure of 260,000 has been paid to an unnamed hospital consultant in Hull who has been suspended for nearly two-and-a-half years.

The bulk of the money – around 800,000 – has been paid in salaries to around 20 excluded hospital doctors and GPs. More than 30 nurses are suspended or assigned to non-clinical duties, pending the outcome of investigations.

Some staff are facing inquiries into clinical deficiencies and others police investigations or professional inquiries into misconduct.

Major efforts have been made in the past decade to tackle suspensions in the NHS amid concerns over their cost, which includes employing replacement staff.

Figures from the National Clinical Assessment Service (NCAS), which assesses suspensions of doctors and dentists, show 127 were suspended from work in England at the end of March last year – broadly the same number as in recent years. Around one in five cases took more than a year to conclude.

In Yorkshire, hospital chiefs in Hull have paid 260,000 to an unnamed consultant barred from working for nearly two-and-a-half years over an investigation into clinical competence.

At Sheffield's hospitals, around 80,000 has been spent on the suspension of eight nurses including several sisters.

In Leeds, one hospital specialist has been moved to non-clinical duties – believed to be trauma surgeon Toby Branfoot who is facing a detailed investigation into his work.

It is estimated he has received at least 100,000 in salary since the decision by management in December 2008.

Stephen Morrison, director of human resources at the Hull NHS trust, said: "We are dealing with a complex issue which will take time to resolve. We are happy that we are doing all we can to progress this case in an appropriate timescale."

Chris Morley, deputy chief nurse at Sheffield's hospitals, said the eight nurses, out of more than 5,000 nursing staff, had been suspended pending investigations to find out if disciplinary action was required.

"We are fortunate to have some of the best nursing and midwifery professionals in the NHS working in our hospitals but nevertheless the standards we expect from all our healthcare professionals are high and this is absolutely necessary to ensure our patients receive the best possible care," he said.

A Leeds hospitals spokesman said: "These are often complex cases. As well as the need for thorough investigation, there are clear human resources and regulatory processes that we need to follow, for example involvement of external bodies and the General Medical Council.

"Within these constraints we make every effort to conclude these matters as quickly as possible."

Prof Alastair Scotland, director of the NCAS, said the number of doctors and dentists on suspension had fallen by 80 per cent since the service was set up and the duration of suspension had fallen by a third, so most lasted less than three months.

"A very very small number may take a very long time to resolve – but these will be very complex cases, for instance, heard by the regulator, and others, even rarer, which may involve the police," he said.

"What I think we are seeing now with the smaller numbers is that people are much more confident about the right place, right time and right circumstances to think about exclusion for a defined period of time."

There are more than 14,000 doctors working in Yorkshire, more than 2,000 NHS dentists and more than 42,000 nurses.