PROFITEERING employment agencies are pocketing millions in NHS cash by charging outrageous fees hiring out midwives to plug gaps created by government underfunding.

Fees of up to £2,100 have been charged for one midwife to work a single shift, analysis of figures by the Labour Party found.

NHS trusts in England this year spent over £112 million on agency and “bank midwives” — midwives who offer themselves for temporary employment — an increase of 22 per cent over 2021/22.