Bill for agency nurses in Guernsey to hit all-time high

The cost of paying overtime and agency nurses in Guernsey is about to hit an all-time high.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) says the agency bill was already £4.76 million at the end of October. Last year, it was £4 million for the whole year.

The overtime bill for nurses has also exceeded £2 million.

Managers say vacancies on the island are becoming harder to fill, leaving them with no other option than to turn to agency staff to fill the gaps.

The RCN recently agreed to ballot on the final pay offer from the States. Just over half of members voted, and 89% of those opted to reject the offer, meaning the ballot on industrial action will be started in January.

A spokesperson from Policy & Resources sent this statement:

The RCN is one of four unions involved and once the result of the ballot is confirmed across all these groups, the Industrial Disputes Officer (IDO) will need to determine what the next steps are within the dispute resolution process. >There is no need for industrial action at this time whilst the IDO is still involved and a fair hearing will be given to both sides. If the process is not resolved at that stage, it will go to tribunal who will award accordingly.At this stage, the Policy & Resources Committee will continue to monitor the situation and it is resolved further.