A FREELANCE hospital boss now working in Bradford has come under fire for the "colossal sums" her services cost hard-pressed NHS trusts.

Jackie Ardley is drafted in through agencies to temporarily fill top jobs around the country, and currently works as interim chief nurse at Bradford Teaching Hospitals.

But questions have been raised about the amount her services cost trusts, as she can command fees of more than £20,000 a month.

Ms Ardley's previous position was at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, where her services over a 22-month period cost the NHS a "shocking" £445,000 in salary, national insurance, agency fees and VAT.

She was taken on in July 2013 as interim chief nurse, and later became interim director of governance, before leaving in April this year.

During that time, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust had a deficit of more than £13 million, and it has since been put into special measures.

Since April, Ms Ardley has been interim chief nurse at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke's.

Yesterday, the trust declined to say how much it was paying her, saying the figure would be published next year in its annual report.

A spokesman said: "Ms Ardley was appointed at the end of April 2015 on an interim basis while we sought to recruit a permanent chief nurse. Despite two separate rounds of recruitment we have so far been unsuccessful in recruiting to this role.

"These are exceptional circumstances and we will continue to seek to recruit a permanent chief nurse.

"Ms Ardley is providing excellent support to our staff and playing a crucial role in helping to ensure we provide high quality care to our patients."

But Bradford East MP Imran Hussain slammed the "colossal sums" involved in paying freelancers like Ms Ardley, and called for Bradford Teaching Hospitals to open up about how much she and any others were costing.

The Labour MP said: "I am shocked to hear of the amounts of money being paid to this consultant. I believe serious questions need to be asked.

"First of all why is this important position being occupied by a consultant and what would be the cost if it was occupied by a permanent member of staff?

"At a time when the NHS is struggling financially, when nurses and other staff are being squeezed and given inadequate pay rises, how can it be right to pay these colossal sums to consultants?

"Why is the Trust so secretive regarding the amount of money they are spending on this consultant and perhaps potentially more worryingly, how many others are employed on this basis?"

Labour MP for Bradford South, Judith Cummins, added: "Such arrangements are not what I want to see in our NHS. That they continue is indicative of both the Government’s failure to act and the enormous operational pressures the NHS is facing."

Bradford West Labour MP Naz Shah last night said she had spoken to the chief executive of the Trust, asked questions and been reassured that the executive team and board had full confidence in Ms Ardley who was "doing a great job."

Ms Ardley was unavailable for comment.