Expenditure on expensive off-contract agency nurses down by £121m across the North: Guckian
Expenditure on expensive off-contract agency nurses across the north’s health service has been reduced by £121m, according to Western Trust Chief Executive Neil Guckian.
Mr. Guckian told the Stormont Health Committee there are ambitions to build on this by reducing expenditure on locum consultants and doctors as well but suggested this will take longer.
"We have been transforming our workforce. The work that we have done in NI on nursing is the envy of every jurisdiction in the UK and indeed the Republic of Ireland.
"Eighteen months ago Health and Social Care in NI was wholly reliant on off-contract agency nurses to the extent of £136m. We have reduced that by £121m forecast this year.
"So we have replaced that with substantive nursing staff and on-contract nursing. What does that really mean? It means we are able to buy more nurses for the same money but also take resources out of our nursing cost,” he said.
The reduction in expenditure followed the announcement by erstwhile Health Minister Robin Swann in 2023 of the establishment of a new framework for the supply of agency nurses, midwives and healthcare support workers for Health and Social Care NI.
Since then Trusts have been working to eliminate the use of off-contract nurses.
Mr. Guckian said savings made have allowed for increased hospital activity without rising budget deficits.
“We have been able to absorb in most acute hospitals in NI - there has been approximately a five per cent increase in occupancy levels in the last 12 months – we have been able to absorb the nursing costs of that without an increase in our deficits.
"In times gone by we would have increased our deficits through the year and we would have had to go back to the Executive for more money,” said the Western Trust boss.
Attention is now being turned to the continued reliance on expensive locum doctors.
“We are moving on now to medical workforce. That's going to be little more tricky. It is going to take longer. We believe it is going to take a number of years but by consolidating our workforce and making our workforce sustainable I think that will really, really link in to our transformation,” he declared.