The recruitment drive came as 17 NHS hospitals had declared “major incidents”
‘Hospitals are offering locum A&E doctors up to £105 an hour to ease the NHS staffing crisis.
They are placing thousands of adverts through agencies, a Sunday People investigation found.
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One agency posted 140 adverts last Friday alone in a desperate mayday call to fill posts.
Many ads, begging for staff to start “asap”, even offer to pay medics’ travel and accommodation costs.
By using private firms to recruit temps, NHS trusts face commission bills amounting to thousands of pounds.
But many have no choice as rising demand and Government cuts have left services at breaking point.
One A&E doctor at a North of England hospital said: “Managers are saying it does not matter what we pay, we must get more bodies in to cope with demand.” ‘
Read More: Desperate NHS hospitals offering locum doctors £105 AN HOUR to ease national A&E crisis
Niamh Harris