Lincolnshire hospital boss warns of £50m agency staff spend

A health boss has said hospitals in Lincolnshire could spend more than £50m on agency and bank staff this year.

Chief executive of United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (ULHT) Andrew Morgan said the figure was not "sustainable".

He said the need for additional people was due to staff shortages and a high number of patients, but added the trust was taking on more staff.

The trust, which runs hospitals in Lincoln, Boston and Grantham, has also faced criticism over A&E waiting times.

Mr Morgan told BBC Radio Lincolnshire the trust spent £45m on agency and bank staff in 2021.

"I think in September, from memory, we spent £4.9m on agency and £3.9m on bank," he said.

"If it carries on at that rate our agency spend this year would be over £50m and that is not a sustainable position."

He said the high costs risked sending the trust over budget and it was "getting on" with recruitment to reduce the reliance on agency staff.

"We are employing about 340 whole-time equivalent more people than we were this time last year, including 250 whole-time equivalent nurses, midwives, medics or doctors."

The trust has previously said the county's A&E departments had been "overwhelmed and overcrowded" after patients in the summer faced waiting times of more than 30 hours.

Mr Morgan said the trust was working to improve flow through the hospital to address those issues.

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