A BBC News investigation reveals that senior doctors in the NHS are earning over £200,000 annually through overtime payments to address mounting waiting lists. With many consultants charging more than £200 an hour, the overall overtime bill for the NHS is expected to rise to nearly £1 billion this year. The British Medical Association attributes this reliance on overtime to staffing shortages, further exacerbated by strike cover needs. As the government injects £25 billion into the NHS, concerns grow about the sustainability and fairness of compensating staff, prompting calls for more hires and innovative solutions in patient care.