Health chiefs paid out £3 billion on supply medics last year, which is a 20 per cent increase, freedom of information acts show.

This means taxpayers picked up the huge bill while the agencies took a cut of the shift pay cash in.

Health trusts are forking out on premium rates to stop a 47,000-strong nursing vacancy crippling the NHS, it has been claimed.

The huge price of agency staff is said to be due to a staffing crisis in the NHS

The Health Secretary said he is ‘saddened’ by the proposed strikes

It comes after Health Secretary Steve Barclay has said the pay demands from unions representing nurses are ‘neither reasonable nor affordable’.

He said he is ‘saddened’ by the proposed industrial action by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which he said is in ‘nobody’s best interests’.

Figures show ten trusts paid agency nurses more than £2,000 for a day’s work while a third splashed out more than £1,000 for a single shift, it has been revealed.

The priciest was £2,549 forked out by one trust.

An average nurse employed by the NHS earns £130 a shift.

Royal College of Physicians president Dr Sarah Clarke said: ‘Staff shortages have meant that we’ve had to dip into the public spending and pay for agency and locum staff and this of course comes at a significant cost.’

The average NHS nurse earns £130 a shift

The map shows the 176 NHS organisations that voted in favour of strike action

The Health Secretary has said he is resistant to negotiating on pay, with the union demanding an increase of at least 15% compared with the £1,400 rise awarded earlier this year.

Mr Barclay said the pay award ‘is a balanced increase’, which is ‘fair for nurses and the taxpayer’.

He wrote in the Sunday Telegraph: ‘Yet the RCN is demanding a massive pay rise of 17.6%; an increase that is simply neither reasonable nor affordable.

‘It is about three times the average settlement that millions of hard-working people, including many Sunday Telegraph readers, working outside the public sector will typically receive.

Full list of hospitals set to strike

ENGLAND

EAST MIDLANDS 

• East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
• NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB (Joined Up Care Derbyshire)
• NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB
• Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust
• Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
• Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

EAST OF ENGLAND

• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
• Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
• Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust
• Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
• Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust
• Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
• West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
• NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB
• NHS Mid and South Essex ICB
• NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB
• NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB

LONDON 

• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust
• Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust
• Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust
• St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
• Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust
• University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• NHS North Central London ICB
• NHS South West London ICB
• NHS Resolution

NORTH WEST 

• Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Found Trust
• Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Found Trust
• The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
• Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust
• Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
• Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Midlands and Lancashire CSU
• Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Found Trust
• Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust
• Central Cheshire Integrated Care Partnership
• St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
• Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
• The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust
• Health Education England
• NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB
• NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB
• Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust  

NORTHERN

• North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust
• University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
• Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
• Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
• The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• North of England CSU (NECS)

SOUTH EAST 

• Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
• East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
• University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
• South East Coast Ambulance Service
• Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
• Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• NHS Kent and Medway ICB
• NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB
• Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
• Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
• University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
• South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
• Solent NHS Trust
• Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
• Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

SOUTH WEST

• Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• Devon Partnership NHS Trust
• South Western Ambulance Service NHS Found Trust 
• Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust
• Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• North Bristol NHS Trust
• Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
• University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
• University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
• Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT)
• Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
• Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust
• University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
• Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
• Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
• Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
• NHS Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB (BSW Together)
• NHS Devon ICB (One Devon)
• NHS Dorset ICB (Our Dorset)
• NHS Gloucestershire ICB (One Gloucestershire)

WEST MIDLANDS 

• Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust
• The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
• Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust
• University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
• Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
• Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Dudley Integrated Health and Care NHS Trust
• NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB (BSol ICB)
• NHS Black Country ICB

YORKSHIRE AND THE HUMBER

• Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust
• Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust
• The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
• NHS England
• Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
• NHS West Yorkshire ICB

WALES 

• Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
• Powys Teaching Local Health Board
• Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust Headquarters
• Hywel Dda University Health Board
• Swansea Bay University Health Board
• Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
• Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board
• Velindre NHS Trust
• Public Health Wales
• Health Education and Improvement Wales Health Authority
• NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership
• Digital Health and Care Wales

SCOTLAND 

• NHS Borders
• NHS Education For Scotland
• NHS Fife
• NHS National Services Scotland
• NHS Shetland
• NHS Western Isles
• NHS Dumfries and Galloway
• NHS Orkney
• NHS Golden Jubilee
• NHS 24
• The State Hospitals Board for Scotland
• NHS Grampian
• NHS Tayside
• NHS Ayrshire and Arran
• The Highland Council
• Healthcare Improvement Scotland
• Public Health Scotland
• NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
• Scottish Ambulance Service
• NHS Lothian
• NHS Lanarkshire
• NHS Highland
• NHS Forth Valley

NORTHERN IRELAND 

• Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council
• Southern Health and Social Care Trust
• Western Health and Social Care Trust
• Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
• Business Services Organisation
• Regulation & Quality Improvement Authority
• Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service
• Public Health Agency
• Northern Health and Social Care Trust
• South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
• Northern Ireland Ambulance Service

‘Huge settlements like these would turbocharge inflation when we are endeavouring to keep it under control.

‘It will have an adverse impact on people’s incomes in the long run.’

Mr Barclay wrote his door ‘will always be open’ to the unions, following a ‘constructive’ meeting with RCN general secretary Pat Cullen in Whitehall on Thursday.

The talks instead were said to have focused on a ‘wide range of issues’ including patient safety and working conditions.

He went on: ‘If the RCN does go ahead with industrial action, I will make sure that emergency services continue to operate for those that need them most, and patients should continue to come forward for emergency services as normal.

‘But it is inevitable that any strike would mean some patients will have their treatment delayed, and I would urge the unions to consider the impact on those who rely on the NHS for their care.

‘We are facing a difficult winter for our whole country and industrial action is in nobody’s best interests.’

The RCN announced on Wednesday that its members in the majority of NHS employers across the UK have backed industrial action.