The NHS is spending too much money on temporary medical staff to cover sick-days, MPs have claimed.
The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has pointed out that stand-in nurses to cover absences exceeded the £1 billion mark in 2005 - nine per cent of the total nursing budget.
The bill for temporary agency staff rose by 40 per cent in the years leading up to 2005 - prompting anger from ministers who claim this is a waste of money.
Furthermore, the Public Accounts Committee also claim that the use of agency staff is putting patients' lives at risk as 39 per cent have not received basic training in life support - a claim vehemently denied by the Nurses Agencies Association.
Edward Leigh said: "Too many trusts are relying on temporary nurses to mask their inability to manage their permanent staff properly.
"This is not simply a point about wasting money. The use of temporary nurses might be compromising patient safety.
The news comes as the NHS reveals a £500 million surplus after two years of deficits - however more than one in five NHS trusts around the UK still remains in debt.
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