To ask the Minister of Health what proposals his Department is working on to address the increasing cost of locums.

Employment of agency staff and locums has been necessary to ensure that safe and effective services are sustained and maintained.

A key factor in tackling this issue is transformation of HSC and the need for long term investment in our HSC workforce. The Bengoa report made clear that rising locum and agency costs are due to the current configuration of services and that “changing the model of care” is the only solution. Officials are currently working with HSC employers and Trade union colleagues on detailed proposals to reduce agency and locum spend in NI, beginning, as a first step, to examine the root causes of agency expenditure.

We are now, however, experiencing a second wave of infections, and, as a result, the number of patients in Trust hospitals who are COVID-19 positive continue to rise. My Department’s immediate priority therefore is to continue working closely with HSC Trusts to ensure there is sufficient capacity within the system to meet these exceptional demands.