Andy Burnham MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, responding to new NHS spending figures for agency nurses and doctors, said:
“The soaring bill for agency staff, now bleeding the NHS dry, has doubled under David Cameron and is a direct consequence of his NHS reorganisation.
“He axed thousands of nursing posts after the election and dismantled NHS workforce planning and training structures. It created a shortage of staff and left the NHS saddled with a whopping £2.6 billion bill for agency staff. This is draining NHS finances and damaging standards of patient care.
“This Government’s decision to axe 10,000 nurse training places was appallingly short-sighted and has left NHS hospitals paying an extremely high price. In parts of the NHS, spending on agency staff has doubled under David Cameron.
“David Cameron’s mismanagement of the NHS has trapped hospitals in a downward spiral. The NHS now urgently needs a change of course and a change of Government. The Tories have shown once again that they just can’t be trusted with the NHS.”