Agency staff are playing a pivotal role in keeping the NHS running, according to one industry commentator.
Andrew Horner, chair of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation's (REC) Healthcare arm, said that it would be wrong to criticise the cost of agency workers as they are providing a valuable service.
His comments are in response to shadow health secretary Andy Burnham, who wrote in the Daily Mirror this week that the Department of Health should not have spent £3 million on agency staff in the last three months.
Mr Horner says that using agencies to bring in the right staff is "cost effective" and an important part of resourcing.
"Portraying agency spend as a waste is not only wide of the mark, it is also hugely disrespectful to the individual temporary workers who perform crucial front-line roles and make a significant contribution," he said.
Meanwhile, a report by Nuffield Health has found that one third of people are forcing themselves to work even if they are sick.
