Health board’s locum GP bill could top £1m
NHS Shetland is set to shell out over £1.3 million on locum GPs this financial year if current spending is maintained.
A freedom of information request from Shetland News reveals that the health board has spent £218,657 on temporary GPs in July and August this year alone.
Between April and June 2017 NHS Shetland had already spent £334,495 on locums doctors – which is over half of what it paid in the whole of 2015/16.
If current spending is continued through the whole financial year, NHS Shetland is expected to pay £1.328 million on locum GPs.
It follows a report presented to the integration joint board (IJB) – which covers health and social care in Shetland – earlier this month that said the NHS is in line to overspend on primary care by £500,000 this year mainly due to locums.
The health board has had well-rehearsed problems with attracting staff to the isles at a time when rising costs are outstripping its funding.
It is currently recruiting GPs for Lerwick, Bixter, Yell, Unst and Scalloway as locums attempt to fill the gaps.
A consultant locum in mental health is also due to continue to visit the isles up to the end of the November, and possibly beyond.
NHS Shetland chief executive Ralph Roberts said continuing to spend heavily on locums means more efficiencies may need to be found in the service.
The IJB – which brings together the health board and Shetland Islands Council – heard at its last meeting that it is projected to have a deficit of £2.876 million this financial year, with only £668,000 in savings achieved so far.
“While we recognise the need to put in place locums where we have vacancies to maintain as appropriate a level of service as possible we would of course prefer to have permanent long term GPs in place,” Roberts said.
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“This is better, not only financially, but even more importantly around continuity of care issues and providing long term stability to services and the community.
“With reference to the cost, obviously if we spend additional resources on locums then this money cannot be spent elsewhere and/or has to be found by reducing other services.”
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