Mounting agency costs highlight extent of problems facing the NHS - The Yorkshire Post says

New data from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) shows that hospitals in England have spent more than £3bn on agency nurses in the last few years.

Every region is spending millions of pounds on agency nurses and the nursing union says that this money could have paid the salaries of almost 31,000 full-time nurses or trained more than 86,000 new ones.

Forcing trusts to squander millions on agency staff is the wrong approach and in no way is it going to be sustainable.

It serves to highlight just how precarious of a situation the NHS finds itself in. An NHS that was the envy of the world.

Criticism of poor management is often justified with the NHS hampered by bureaucracy. But this data is just one example of the pressure the healthcare system is under.

What this data shows is that there is a staffing crisis that needs urgent attention. And also highlights the Government’s folly when it comes to attempts to cut immigration. The foreign worker salary threshold is set to rise to £38,700. This would simply prohibit the NHS from securing the workforce that it desperately needs.

The NHS epitomises global Britain. Its workforce is a rich tapestry of international talent. Turning our backs on this would do damage not only to the NHS but also Britain’s reputation on the world stage.

A proper workforce plan that equips all areas of the NHS with the talent it needs to deal with an ageing population is needed.

But the next Government will also face difficult choices because it is evident that an overhaul of the NHS is needed and that will not come without pain.