The rise of the £300,000 NHS fatcats

You need big ones to feed at the government tough.

Socialists Feeding at the Trough

Investigation discloses doubling in number of NHS managers being paid equivalent of at least £300,000 a year, with some on as much as £620,000 annually 

(London Telegraph)  -  The number of National Health Service managers being paid the equivalent of more than £300,000 a year has doubled in just 12 months, it can be disclosed.

In some cases, cash-strapped health trusts are hiring temporary executives for hundreds of thousands of pounds, an investigation by The Telegraph has found.

Patients’ groups said the “exorbitant” rates could not be justified, and nursing leaders said the sums were a “kick in the teeth” for junior staff who were refused a one per cent pay rise.

NHS board reports indicate that during 2013-14, 44 “interim” executives were employed on rates of £1,000 a day — the equivalent of £228,000 a year — compared with 24 the year before.

There was an even sharper increase at the top end of the scale. In the last financial year, 22 executives were paid the equivalent of at least £300,000 a year — compared with 11 the year before and just four in 2010-11. In most cases, the payments were not made directly to the managers, but via agencies, which were able to take a share. 

Meanwhile, NHS finances spiralled out of control, with trusts running up a combined deficit of £500 million, before the Government announced plans to spend an extra £2 billion next year on the NHS.

Rotherham Foundation Trust paid the equivalent of £621,000 a year for the services of Michael Morgan as chief executive.

Mr Morgan worked for Rotherham trust for 10 months, until last November.

Accounts for eight of the months show payments of £380,000 plus expenses — the equivalent of £621,000 over 12 months, a sum that would cover the salaries of 28 nurses.

NHS trusts said the payments were justified to secure “high calibre” expertise at short notice.

But the investigation found some managers stayed in post for more than a year, on rates worth far more than the Prime Minister’s £142,500 salary.

Peter Reading was paid £405,000 to be chief executive of Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals Foundation trust. He left in June, after almost two and a half years.

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