ANEURIN Bevan Health Board had the highest spend on agency nurses of all health boards in Wales since 2011, paying out more than £16 million, new figures show.

The temporary nurses are not connected to any single ward or hospital and are paid per shift, often earning more than their full-time counterparts.

Across Wales spending on agency nurses almost doubled in one year, going from £12 million in 2013 to £23 million in 2014.

In the years since 2011 ABHB spent £16,769,000 - almost £6 million more than neighbouring Cardiff and Vale which spent £10,990,360.

But while other health boards increased their spending, figures did not appeared to show a pattern of higher spend in ABHB since 2011.

In 2011, the health board spent £4,810 million while in 2013, the last full year for which data is available, the amount was £4,423 million.

The figures were revealed after a Freedom of Information request by the Welsh Liberal Democrats and include health care assistants, nursing auxiliaries and nursing assistants.

Lib Dem leader Kirsty Williams said: “It’s astounding that the NHS in Wales has spent over £60 million on agency nurses in just a few years. This money could have been used to employ around 2,400 extra full time nurses in our NHS.”

She said the situation wasn’t financially sustainable and added that better medical care came from continuity among staff.

Ms Williams said it demonstrated the need for the ‘More Nurses’ bill which would legislate for safe staffing levels.

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “We are competing in a global market for nurses and there are recruitment pressures across the UK, not just in Wales.

“Against this backdrop we are continuing to take action to recruit and retrain nurses, including making it easier for those who have left the profession to retrain and rejoin NHS Wales.

“The amount spent on agency nurses is small in the context of the £6bn we invest in the Welsh NHS every year, but it is important that health boards keep this spending under close scrutiny and take action to recruit.”

A spokesman for Aneurin Bevan Health Board said: “We have been successful in recruiting into many areas of nursing and this is showing a a reduction in our agency spending since 2013.

"We know the value of having nursing staff that are fully employed by the Health Board, however, nursing recruitment is a challenge faced by health boards across Wales.

"We will continue to do everything we can to drive down agency costs and are continuing to recruit nurses. High quality patient care and patient safety are our key priorities."