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Emergency doctors paid £2000 per day

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vegasmags Sat 03-Jan-15 10:15:21

According to a report produced by Liaison, a financial services company employed by hospitals to help manage their spending on agency staff, and based on an analysis of 39 hospitals, A&E units are experiencing acute staff shortages because working conditions in them are so bad that staff do not want to sign up full time. This is reported in today's Times www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/health/news/article4313028.ece
but you can only access part of the article online without a subscription.

The article goes on to say that hospitals are overwhelmed by rising numbers of older, sicker patients and that there is also little incentive for doctors to take a permanent job when temporary work can pay so well.

Hospitals have spent a record amount of almost one billion pounds on agency doctors and nurses in six months.

The Patients Association have called this figure truly shocking and said that the NHS should focus more resources on hiring and retaining skilled doctors. Apparently, the crippling working hours are one of the reasons that put doctors off wanting to work in A & E.

I know there's been much discussion on Gransnet recently about the pressures on A & E from drunks, timewasters and so on, but surely this reliance on locum staff shows that the system is under serious strain. Certainly where I live, after 6.00 pm or at weekends and bank holidays, A & E remains the only option if you are ill and think you need to see a doctor.

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etheltbags1 Sat 03-Jan-15 22:24:15

'why not make a charge for A and E services, there are so many time wasters that our local hospital has a permanent police presence, the druggies go into the loo and shout and swear etc. Surely a small charge would deter these thugs. Also people with mental health problems tend to sit around the waiting area, probably as they've nothing else to do.

a small charge would be willingly paid by those who are genuine.

I once saw a known drunk sitting in a cubicle vomiting into a bucket, he should have been thrown out into the street, he has a home to go to and should have been left to his own devices.

It is about time we started to take responsibility for our own actions.

The NHS has become the 'nanny' in the phrase 'nanny state' and we are all suffering for it.

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Teetime Sun 04-Jan-15 12:39:55

ethel I started in 1979 and was told the same reason for low pay as you. In order to reach Nurse Specialist and then Nurse Consultant stage I had to finance my own BSc(Hons) and then my MSc I also carried a great deal more responsibility for patients, premises, staff and prescribing medication so I thought my salary rises were justified especially as I earned so much less than non clinically qualified managers who got all their training (such as it was - lots of management gobbledegook)paid for them and didn't have to be on-call and work shifts.

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Charleygirl Sun 04-Jan-15 14:06:35

The problem with charging patients for A& E services is the cost involved. It probably costs more to take the money with all of the administrative gobbledygook than to let patients have the services for free. I do agree that something has to be done.

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trisher Mon 05-Jan-15 20:39:50

Ana it doesn't work out to £200 an hour. It is ALMOST £2000 a shift so probably around £1800, which for a 10 hour shift is £180 before tax etc, a 12 hour shift-not unusual on nights- is £150 an hour. And there is the possibility that only 1 or 2 shifts might be available in one week. It may still sound a lot but look how much a solicitor or barrister charges per hour- an equivalent position.

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loopylou Mon 05-Jan-15 20:45:14

Recently used a solicitor- £210/hr + VAT, for writing 2 letters and sending 3 emails

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