Cost of NHS suspensions ‘too high’, warn MPs
The NHS suspensions procedure is costing both individuals and taxpayers too much, according an influential committee of MPs.
A new report from the Public Accounts Select Committee argues that too many suspensions of NHS staff end up dragging on for unacceptably long periods of time, which is both to the detriment of the individual and wastes public money.
Between April 2001 and July 2002 the MPs estimate that over 1,000 NHS clinical staff were suspended from work in England, at a cost to the NHS of £40 million.
Aside from the cost to the taxpayer, the committee points to the personal consequences of suspension to doctors, such as loss of crucial clinical skills and potential depression.
It finds that prior to last year’s report from the National Audit Office the Government had no idea of the extent of problem of staff suspension, as its monitoring was limited to formal suspensions of doctors lasting more than six months.
Though guidelines issued last December are welcomed, the committee points out that they are incomplete as they only apply to doctors not to other clinical members of staff.
The report also raises concerns about the “significantly higher proportion” of ethnic minority consultants excluded and calls upon NHS trusts to monitor any differentials in exclusion rates and assess the reasons.
On patient safety, MPs point out that many trusts fail to complete investigations if members of staff leave and this is often not communicated to potential future employers.
Commenting on the findings, the committee’s chairman Edward Leigh, said: “Patient safety is paramount and so it is important that NHS Trusts can suspend clinical staff whilst conducting investigations. But too many suspensions cases have dragged on and on, wasting large sums of taxpayers’ money.
“The average length of exclusion from work for suspended doctors was 47 weeks and 19 weeks for other clinical staff. Astonishingly there were 30 cases where exclusions lasted over two years. The annual cost to the NHS, at £40 million, is much too high. And very long cases can be damaging to the clinicians involved. They face depression, erosion of skills and lasting career problems even if totally exonerated.
“The Department of Health and the NHS as a whole need to get a much better grip on the management of all exclusions of clinical staff and resolve cases within at least the existing six month target.”
Liberal Democrat health spokesman, Paul Bustow, backed the report, saying: “It is traumatic for the clinician and a huge waste of NHS resources to have doctors suspended for long periods. Patient safety must be a top priority in the NHS but the cost of unnecessary suspensions is far too high.
“There needs to be an open culture for reporting mistakes. Problems with staff must be tackled quickly and suspensions should be a last resort. Patient safety must be paramount, so if someone is suspended there must be an efficient system to alert other NHS employers.”
