THE 15 per cent increase in use of "bank nurses" who step in to plug gaps in wards by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC) at a cost of £36m ("Union warns NHS relying on temporary staff", The Herald, October 27) is a sad reflection on NHS management.
The spokesperson for NHS GGC states that the use of bank (and agency) nurses is five to six per cent of the total nurse workforce, and amazingly, his comments suggest he is in no way alarmed and offers no plan to rectify the situation.
But five to six per cent is not an insignificant emergency cover. And it is not occasional cover and reveals an extremely worrying long-term shortage of clinical staff, demanding reliance on overtime by already hard-pressed staff.
It is pointless to quote an increase in staff numbers - are they in fact qualified nurses? - if demand is increasing. The use of overtime by clinical staff is in itself questionable. The cost of overtime may well be offset by use of non-contracted staff whereby inconvenient employment costs (long and hard-won) such as sick leave, holiday pay, maternity leave, pension contributions and so on are not incurred.
But even if the end result proves a financial saving, what are the losses? Continuity of care? Staff with no knowledge of patients? Staff morale? Staff sickness levels? Accident rates?
This bizarre system of staffing is clearly accepted NHS policy and it can only be assumed that nurse managers are no longer responsible for staff recruitment where level of experience and qualifications are assessed. This can only affect standards. Staffing patterns such as this is not management. It is exploitation of both permanent and "emergency" staff.
J McCall,
Kennishead Road, Glasgow.
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