£84k spent on NHS recruiting

MONEY spent by NHS Lothian on recruitment consultants rocketed last year, figures have shown.

Health chiefs paid Edinburgh's Munro Consulting 84,000 to fill a range of senior positions, compared with 31,000 in 2008.

The health board defended the expenditure, saying it was necessary to attract quality applicants, and said the increase was because of the high number of top level posts which had to be filled.

Alan Boyter, NHS Lothian's director of human resources, said: "Using recruitment consultants for the most senior posts ensures we can target the right people."