NHS FIFE spending on bank and agency nurses has increased by 56 per cent in the last five years. 

According to official statistics, a total of £9,138,735 has been spent by NHS Fife in 2017/18 compared to £5,871,837 – an increase of £3.26 million in just five years. 

Last week, it was also revealed in a report by ISD Scotland that the number of nurses leaving the NHS had reached a new high.

The Scottish Conservatives say nurses are looking to switch profession in the wake of mounting workload pressure and they are calling for proper workplace planning and support.

Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Liz Smith said: "These are alarming statistics and underline how poor the Scottish Government’s workforce planning has been.

"Nurses are the backbone of our health service and it is clear that all is not well within that profession. With record numbers leaving, NHS Fife’s reliance on bank and agency staff will only increase.

"It’s important that health boards are able to get the agency bill under control and start filling these posts will full-time, permanent practitioners."

Director of nursing Helen Wright said: “In order to continue to ensure our wards remain safely staffed it is occasionally necessary to utilise supplementary staff; this is particularly the case in very specialist areas, where very specific training and skillsets are required. 

“NHS Fife is actively recruiting to fill all of our vacancies and we are working closely with universities and colleges to drive recruitment and encourage nurses who may have left the profession to get back into practice.

"We also continue to recruit to our nursing bank so we can reduce our use of agency staff.

“Our increased use of supplementary staff is being reflected across Scotland, although to directly link this to staff leaving the profession due to workload pressure is misleading.

"For instance, factors such as staff absence, the need for additional beds on wards during times of particular pressure, recruitment difficulties in specific geographical areas, such as North-East Fife, and even weather disruption are far more relevant.”

Health secretary Shona Robison said: "NHS Fife’s workforce has increased by 5.5 per cent under this government to historically high levels.

"To help meet the demands the NHS faces, we’re putting record investment into our health service and legislating to ensure we have the right staff with the right skills in the right place.

"Spending on nurse agency staff fell by 3.6 per cent over the last year in Scotland and we have been clear with boards that they should only use agency as a last resort when temporary staff are required."