A Scottish government spokesperson said it was “working with colleagues across NHS Scotland to explore how we can reduce our reliance on agency staffing.”

But adding that the spending amounted to a “tiny fraction” of NHS Scotland’s £10bn-a-year pay bill, they said: “The use of temporary staff in an organisation as large and complex as NHS Scotland will always be required to ensure vital service provision during times of unplanned absence, sickness and increased unforeseen activity.”