NHS consultant paid £375,000 overtime as fees soar 'amid staffing shortages'

One consultant was paid £375,000 in overtime fees on top of their salary

The internal Department of Health documents were leaked, citing serious concerns over the viability of a 7-day week NHS (iStock)

Overtime pay for NHS consultants has increased by more than a third over the past two years, including one doctor who pocketed at extra £375,000 on top of their salary.

The figures have been released to the BBC under freedom of information rules. They suggest that staff are paid around £600 overtime for a four-hour shift, around 300-400% of normal pay for consultants. However, the rate varies by trust and by hospital.

It is feared the costs may be spiralling as staffing cuts mean some NHS Trusts have serious staffing shortages and have to turn to overtime payments to plug the gaps, risking costing more in the long run.

In May, a report by the Public Accounts Committee found there is a frontline staffing shortfall of about 50,000 members of staff across the NHS. The report expressed concerns staffing shortages could widen under plans to introduce a 7-day NHS, putting further demand on limited resources.

Shadow Health Minister Diane Abbott said the figures were “truly shocking”. She said: “It shows the completely false economy of the Tory Government under-funding the NHS. It has created staff shortages even at the highest levels because there are real pressures of an ageing and growing population which are not being met.“

“A properly funded NHS would make these overtime bills unnecessary.”

Professor Mark Pugh, medical director at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals told the BBC that the figures were “clearly not sustainable.” He said: ”There is an acute shortage of consultants for some of these specialities and as we have not been able to source the additional staff we need as demand has risen, we have paid overtime to the existing workforce to deliver extra clinics so that patients can be seen and treated as quickly as possible.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Health told The Independent: “Consultants do a vital job and should be properly rewarded, but this analysis shows why we are working with the British Medical Association to replace a unique evening and weekend ‘opt-out’ in the existing contract.

"This will allow us all to promise patients urgent and emergency care of a consistently high standard across the week, and – as the hospitals themselves say – make better use of operating theatres while reducing unjustifiable overtime bills. We are helping to ensure the NHS will have over 11,000 more doctors, including consultants and GPs by 2020.”