Agency nurses are apparently being paid more than £120 an hour, new figures have revealed.
With the ever controversial issue of nurses wages, this new figure is bound to cause quite a stir.
The high pay is said to "plug staffing gaps in the NHS" and between the nurses and other temporary staff such as administrators, the cost to the health service is £1.18 billion every year.
Like any agency job, the higher pay is normally due to it's temporary nature, and the debate on whether a nurse should be paid the equivalent as a footballer has been argued for some time now. But where is the fairness towards the nurses who do their job full-time? Surely the answer should be that the more dedicated should equal the more worthy?
It could be argued that the nurse industry is extremely competitive, and lacking in positions, which is accurate and fair. But it is difficult to put a price on our Health Service, and it is easy to say "Nurses should be trained more so we wouldn't need agency staff" but the funding for this extra training is at the moment, not available.
An NHS Junior doctor earns £24.14 an hour, the figures show, whilst a consultant is usually on around £60.31 an hour. The Department of Health has insisted that the NHS "do its best to get value for money when employing agency staff" but this then raises the difficult question......How much is a Nurse worth?
Read more at metro.co.uk
Who do you think is worth a high wage?
See more views at the BBC.
With the ever controversial issue of nurses wages, this new figure is bound to cause quite a stir.
The high pay is said to "plug staffing gaps in the NHS" and between the nurses and other temporary staff such as administrators, the cost to the health service is £1.18 billion every year.
Like any agency job, the higher pay is normally due to it's temporary nature, and the debate on whether a nurse should be paid the equivalent as a footballer has been argued for some time now. But where is the fairness towards the nurses who do their job full-time? Surely the answer should be that the more dedicated should equal the more worthy?
It could be argued that the nurse industry is extremely competitive, and lacking in positions, which is accurate and fair. But it is difficult to put a price on our Health Service, and it is easy to say "Nurses should be trained more so we wouldn't need agency staff" but the funding for this extra training is at the moment, not available.
An NHS Junior doctor earns £24.14 an hour, the figures show, whilst a consultant is usually on around £60.31 an hour. The Department of Health has insisted that the NHS "do its best to get value for money when employing agency staff" but this then raises the difficult question......How much is a Nurse worth?
Read more at metro.co.uk
Who do you think is worth a high wage?
See more views at the BBC.
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