Hospitals serving the Shannonside Northern Sound region have spent at least 26 million euro on agency workers since the start of 2020.
That's according to new figures released to this station under the Freedom of Information Act.
These figures refer to spending on consultant and non-consultant hospital doctors, nurses, health care assistants, health and social care professionals and administrative or non-clinical staff provided by agencies.
The highest agency spend overall in a local hospital serving patients in the Shannonside Northern Sound region was in the Midlands Regional Hospital Tullamore, where between January and September of 2020, over €6.2 million euro was spent.
This compares with €4.7 million in Cavan and Monaghan hospitals combined this year to the end of October, €4 million in Portiuncula Hospital Ballinasloe; €3.8 million in Sligo University Hospital; €3.1 million in Galway University Hospital; €2.7 in Midlands Regional Hospital in Mullingar and €1.5 million in Roscommon University Hospital over the same period.
The highest spend on agency nursing was in the Midlands Regional Hospital in Mullingar where €1.9 million was recorded under that heading, between January and September.
Figures are down on last years spend in lots of areas, which is expected to be due to the curtailment of standard hospital services during the Covid-19 pandemic.
