NHS bosses have slammed “rip off” overtime rate claimed by consultants as hospitals try to slash waiting times, according to reports.
A BBC investigation found consultants earning the most were more likely to be part-time, which means they can work overtime for rates of £200 an hour – more than four times normal pay.
The NHS has been handed a huge £22.6bn boost in Rachel Reeves’ first Budget with NHS staff encouraged to work evenings and weekends to cut waiting times.
The BBC found that Medway NHS Foundation Trust paid one radiologist more than £200,000 – almost twice the average basic pay for a full-time consultant in England.
Reacting to the figures, NHS England said: “It is totally unacceptable for hospitals to be forced to pay rip-off rates – over which they have limited control.”
Health minister Wes Streeting told the broadcaster the rates being claimed were not acceptable, adding: “Every penny that goes into the NHS needs to be well spent.”
It came as thousands of patients with suspected cancer have been left waiting more than two months for treatment, according to new data that exposes the “deeply concerning” state of NHS urology cancer care.
Almost half of the patients urgently referred for suspected urology cancer, such as kidney or bladder, have been left waiting too long, with leaked figures obtained by The Independent showing an “urgent backlog” of 4,237 patients who have waited more than the 62-day national target as of August.
The NHS has a target for 85 per cent of patients to be diagnosed and treated within 62 days of an urgent referral. However, figures show just 57 per cent of referrals were seen within this standard in June.
Last year The Independent revealed warnings the NHS was deprioritising waiting times for children as the backlog in care for those under 18 had hit almost 390,000.