They're earning more than the PM! Bumper sums awarded to Scots NHS fat cats revealed
Hundreds of NHS bosses are pocketing more than £100,000 a year despite failing to bring down waiting lists, a report reveals today.
Amid record sums being poured in by taxpayers, nearly 1,700 fat cat NHS bureaucrats were handed the bumper sum in pay, pensions, bonuses, expenses and payoffs.
Meanwhile, 512 senior managers banked salaries greater than the Prime Minister's (£172,153) - with nearly 300 on £200,000 or more.
The first of its kind UK-wide 'NHS Rich List' also found several were handed bonuses and 'golden goodbyes' of up to £150,000, while others left the health service with pension pots worth over £1million.
Last night Scottish Tory chief whip Alexander Burnett said: 'Health boards across Scotland need more junior doctors, more nurses and more paramedics — not more chiefs.
'Scots are seeing ambulance turnaround times of up to 18 hours but also big wage bills at the top.
'The SNP have let this situation happen on their watch. They must fix the problem their lack of attention has caused.'
According to the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) campaign group, which carried out the study, the manager earning the most in Scotland in 2023-24 was Paul Bachoo, acute medical director and portfolio lead (surgery and clinical support) at NHS Grampian, with a total remuneration of £242,500.
This was despite the TPA finding that the board was ranked 12th worst out of 14 on waiting times between referral and treatment in Scotland, and 10th out of 14 for A&E waiting times.
Catherine Cowan, who has now left her post at NHS Forth Valley, was the highest-earning NHS chief executive in Scotland in 2023-24, with total remuneration of £217,500, including an exit package of £70,347.
The board came third out of 14 for referral to treatment waiting times and 13th out of 14 for A&E waiting times.
The former NHS Lanarkshire chief executive Professor Jann Gardner received £157,500 in total remuneration in 2023-24.
The TPA ranked the board 13th out of 14 for referral to treatment waiting times and 14th out of 14 for A&E waiting times.
Professor Gardner became chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on February 1.
An NHS Grampian spokesman said: 'Salaries are set nationally and conform to Scotland's national public sector pay policy.
'These figures are adjusted and ratified through the National Performance Management Committee process.
'In general terms, many staff in senior medical executive or director roles, will also still be combining that strategic position with active clinical duties with patients.
'That could include everything from clinics to surgery.'
NHS Forth Valley said it is one of the best performing NHS boards in Scotland 'in relation to waiting times for outpatient appointments, day treatment and planned surgical operations'.
A spokesman said: 'Arrangements for all staff who leave or retire are agreed in line with NHS contractual arrangements and relevant Scottish Government guidance.
'This would also take into account any outstanding annual leave, notice period and transitional arrangements.'
NHS Lanarkshire referred enquiries to the Scottish Government.
The figures, covering more than 200 trusts and boards, as they are known in Scotland, for the 2023-24 financial year, will anger the millions of patients still stuck on waiting lists across the UK.
It emerged in March that more than 10,000 patients in Scotland had died 'in limbo' on an NHS waiting list for the second year in a row.
Official figures also show a trebling of fatalities among patients needing specialist care.
First Minister John Swinney has said his objective this year was to reduce the total on waiting lists, which have topped more than 800,000 - the equivalent of one in six Scots.
The most recent data also showed nearly one in three patients in Scotland had to wait more than four hours to be seen at A&E, with 10.5 per cent waiting more than eight hours and 4.3 per cent for longer than 12 hours.
The TPA study will also fuel suspicions that much of the money lavished on the health service is not making it to the frontline and is instead helping to fund 'non-jobs' such as diversity roles.
Shimeon Lee, the TPA analyst who compiled the report, said: 'Taxpayers will be appalled that while NHS patients face prolonged waiting lists and dismal A&E performance, hundreds of senior managers are pocketing six-figure pay packets.
'No one disputes that frontline staff deserve decent pay, but this rich list shows that there are sky-high salaries for senior bureaucrats, many in underachieving trusts, that are impossible to justify.
'If ministers are serious about getting the NHS back on track, they need to ensure that managers of poor performing trusts and boards aren't being rewarded for failure, put patients first, and ensure best practice is spread throughout the health service.'
In total, the study found 1,694 senior managers got £100,000 or more in total remuneration across 224 trusts and boards.
Of these, 1,557 included a salary over £100,000. A further 296 got £200,000 or more while 17 received over £300,000.
The highest went to Ann James, the former CEO of University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, who got a £397,500 total pay package, including £382,500 salary.
The trust was ranked 95 out of 136 in England for A&E waiting times.
One of the highest total pay packages (£427,500), including a £262,500 salary and £166,250 in pension-related benefits, went to Jonathan Brotherton, CEO of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.
The trust was ranked 128 of 149 for referral-to-treatment waiting times and 119 of 136 for A&E waiting times in England.
George Findlay, the CEO of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, was handed a £32,500 bonus - on top of his £222,500 salary - despite it ranking 143 of 149 and 105 of 136 for the same targets respectively.
By contrast, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust had the best referral-to-treatment waiting times. Its CEO, Joe Rafferty, got a total pay package of £257,500.
Other eyebrow-raising salaries included North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust giving its 'chief people officer', Louise Tibbert, a £257,500 salary.
The TPA study related to managerial roles at NHS trusts and not NHS England, the quango which runs the health service but which is being scrapped by the UK Government.
Earlier this month, UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced plans to have annual pay rises docked under tough new measures aimed at improving NHS performance and driving progress on cutting waiting lists.
Bonuses of up to 10 per cent will be on offer for top performing trusts under the new 'carrot and stick' approach.
The UK Government health department was contacted for comment.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'The salaries of NHS Scotland chief executives and senior staff are independently assessed and reflect their roles as leaders of large and complex public sector organisations providing vital services.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Starmer goes all in on NHS with PM set to hand health service £30bn spending boost at expense of other public services
Sir Keir Starmer will pump money into the NHS at the expense of other public services. The government is putting all its eggs in one basket as it lines up the Department for Health for a £30billion cash boost at next week's spending review. However, health chiefs have warned the prime minister's promise to 'turbocharge delivery' could lead to difficult compromises elsewhere in services from the police to councils. It comes after the party's unexpected victory in the Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse by-election - though as the threat of Nigel Farage 's Reform UK still looms large. The Department for Health will be handed an increase of around £200billion to its budget by 2028 - a £17billion rise in real terms. Its day-to-day budget is set to increase by 2.8 per cent in real terms annually over the three-year spending review period. Sir Keir has also pledged to have 92 per cent of NHS patients treated within 18 weeks by the next election, a target that has remained unmet for a decade. Currently, under 60 per cent are seen within this time with waiting lists rising to 7.4million last month. There are even fears NHS bosses may not hit an interim goal of 65 per cent next year. Chancellor Rachel Reeves' prioritisation of health has forced cuts in other departments and prompted protestations from other cabinet members like Yvette Cooper, the home secretary and Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister and housing secretary. Both have warned Ms Reeves the cuts will put some of the government's crime and housing targets at risk amid 'robust negotiations'. But the chancellor has maintained 'not every department will get everything they want'. Overall, the health budget, which stood at £178billion as Labour took office, will exceed £230billion by the next election. The increase means health is set to account for 41 per cent of all day-to-day departmental spending - up from 39 per cent. Ben Zaranko, of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said Ms Reeves's cash boost was 'a serious, meaningful increase in health funding'. But Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, warned the funding increase 'is not going to enable us to achieve recovery and reform' without big changes to the way the health service treats patients. He said the government's plan to withhold the budget for infrastructure simultaneously would also make 'combining recovery and reform' impossible.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Health Secretary to unveil 'death of the doctor's letter' in digital first switch to help slash NHS postage bills
Ministers will today announce the death of the doctor's letter in a bid to slash NHS postage bills. Health Secretary Wes Streeting will unveil plans to switch to a 'digital first' system, with almost all patient communications made via the NHS app. The move, agreed as part of next week's spending review, will mean most patients will no longer receive letters about appointments, check-ups and screening dates. People unable to use the app will be able to continue receiving a postal service, but only as a 'last resort'. The Department of Health said the move would lead to the NHS sending out 50 million fewer letters a year, saving £200 million on stamps and envelopes. However, critics warned it could disadvantage millions of older people who struggle with the latest technology. Dennis Reed, director of the Silver Voices campaign group, said the move would accelerate the trend towards digital communications that risks turning some older people into 'second class citizens' and could result in vulnerable patients missing appointments. Last night Mr Streeting insisted that 'modernising' communications would 'put power in the hands of patients'. 'People are living increasingly busy lives,' he said, 'and want to access information about their health at the touch of a button, rather than wait weeks for letters that often arrive too late. 'The NHS still spends hundreds of millions of pounds on stamps, printing, and envelopes. By modernising the health service, we can free up huge amounts of funding to reinvest in the frontline.' Health sources said Royal Mail had become so unreliable in parts of the country that some letters didn't arrive until after appointment dates or else people didn't open their post in time. Mr Reed told the Mail: 'Many older people do not have smartphones and many of those that do only use them for making calls. There are still a lot of people who do not know how to use apps or who physically cannot navigate them on a tiny screen. 'If you try to force them to use an app then people will miss messages and vital appointments.' Caroline Abrahams, director of Age Concern, said technology brought 'many potential benefits', but added: 'This is a big risk because millions [of older people] do not use computers at all, or only do so for limited purposes. 'If the NHS app is to become the default, then this major change must be accompanied by many more opportunities to help people of all ages to go online if they wish to do so.'
Sky News
5 hours ago
- Sky News
Millions to receive NHS screening invitations and appointment reminders on their phones
Appointment reminders, invitations to health screenings and test results will now be received by patients on their phones. The government says moving to a more digital-focused NHS will mean 50 million fewer letters need to be sent out by the health service, saving an estimated £200m over the next three years. Instead, under the new plans, millions of people will be notified about appointments and other important notices via the NHS app on their phone or digital device. The app is set to become the go-to method for the NHS to communicate with people, the Department of Health and Social Care said. The changes will be backed by more than £50m investment. It will see a predicted 270 million messages sent through the app this year, an increase of around 70 million on the last financial year, the government announced. Wes Streeting has said this is all about modernising, as the NHS "feels so 20th century". The health secretary said: "The fact that people still get letters through the front door, sometimes multiple letters about the same appointment... The NHS has been stuck in the mud when it comes to the everyday technology we use to organise our lives. And that's why what we're doing with the NHS app is really exciting." Mr Streeting said the app will make using the NHS more convenient, and give patients more control, while saving money. He said these funds can then be invested back into the health service, to bolster things such as frontline care. Using the NHS app should be 'as joyful as Netflix' The modernisation of the NHS will also lead to fewer missed appointments, and therefore save money that way too, it is hoped. In 2023/24, there were around eight million missed appointments in elective care and almost one in three people missed a screening appointment. Currently, around 20 million people have opted in to receive messages from the NHS app. 4:01 Pushed on how the government will ensure that nobody is left behind, Mr Streeting said: "If someone like me is booking my appointment through the app because that's what I prefer to do, [then] that's freeing up a phone line for someone who wants to get through and talk to a person." He added that greater use of the app will give people more choice in "how you want to organise your care". The cabinet minister also made a bold comparison, saying he wishes that the NHS app is as enjoyable as using streaming giant Netflix. He said: "The NHS app actually has more subscribers than Netflix. It would be a really wonderful thing if using the NHS app felt - if not as joyful - almost as joyful as using Netflix." Other features in the pipeline - though not yet available - include being able to add appointments to phone calendars and request help from local GPs on the app. Faster log in methods, such as using Face ID, are also planned.
