The NHS spent a record £3.3bn on agency staff last year, with locum doctors on average receiving more than 50% more than those on the payroll.
The figures were published by Liaison, a company which works with the NHS to help it save money.
It reviewed spending on temporary agency workers in the first three quarters of 2014/2015, studying payments made by 40 NHS Trusts.
The figures reveal that locum medics are paid between 40% and 50% more than the standard salary for the same job.
For example, a consultant radiologist earns around £120,000 per year, while the best paid locums in the same medical field receive £282,000.
The recruitment agencies are also making a lucrative income, taking up to £27,000 for hiring someone out. That is more than the average annual salary of a nurse.
Last year £3.3bn was spent on temporary staff, contributing towards the £822m deficit across the health service.
This is despite rules which state NHS organisations must limit the cost of locum medics, only spending within agreed frameworks.
The recently released figures show this limit is regularly being breached, with temporary doctors being paid on average 40% more than the recommended rate.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said new rules will be created to cap hourly rates of locum staff. The exact limit has yet to be decided.
“Stuck in a locum market”
President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Cliff Mann, said staff shortages are increasing demand for locum doctors.
“We have got desperate shortages of A&E doctors, with more and more turning away because they feel overworked and burned out”, he said.
“That pushes the prices up and up, so we are stuck in a locum market, with hospitals forced into a bidding war.”
Dr Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, warned against a “quick fix”.
He said: “The NHS’ over-reliance on agency staff is a threat to continuity of care and to the fragile finances of the health service.”
“The problem will only be solved when the NHS trains, recruits and keeps enough permanent staff for the challenges it faces.”
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