THE number of “fat cat” NHS managers earning six-figure salaries has risen by a quarter in two years, analysis shows.
Data from Freedom of Information requests shows there were 837 non-clinical staff working at English hospitals in 2022 to 2023 on the highest paid Band 9 contracts.
GettyCampaigners have slammed the growth in NHS ‘fat cat’ managers in two years, claiming money should be invested in front line staff instead[/caption]
It was up from 662 in 2020 to 2021, during the start of the Covid pandemic.
Ministers have previously pledged to cut down on the amount being spent on management consultants, with former health secretary Steve Barclay imposing a hiring freeze in 2022.
Jim McConalogue, of think-tank Civitas, said the NHS should be focusing resources on “doctors and nurses on the front line to reduce waiting lists”.
He said: “That inevitably means we should not be paying an increased amount of this expenditure for information analysts, admin managers, or HR administrators.
“The focus should remain on patients which should mean putting resources into those who have been waiting the longest to receive treatment as soon as possible.”
Rishi Sunak earlier this month admitted he could not keep his pledge to cut the waiting list, which now stands at 7.61million treatments not yet carried out, made last year.
On Monday, he blamed NHS strikes for the increase since he made the promise, but insisted “we’re putting a record amount of investment in” to the health service.
The latest analysis, by the TaxPayers’ Alliance, show the largest increase of NHS non-clinical staff since 2020 to 2021 came in the top pay band
On top of the 837 workers earning £99,891 to £114,949 in the band, there were 726 on locally arranged salaries, reserved for very senior staff.
These included a hospital chief executive in London earning £226,600 and one in Bradford on £175,100.
A director of people and transformation in Bristol was being paid £153,545.
For comparison, NHS nurses earn between £35,000 to £38,000 on average a year and junior doctors get between £39,260 and £73,477.
Patients will be furious at the surge in fat cat managers
John O’Connell
Consultants earn a base salary of between £93,666 and £126,281 a year.
In total, the number of NHS non-clinical staff earning over £50,000 has increased by 13 per cent since 2020 to 17,718.
John O’Connell, of the TPA, said: “Patients will be furious at the surge in fat cat managers.
“When taxpayers are asked to cough up more and more for the health service, they expect it to go to doctors and nurses, not ever more pen pushers.
“NHS bosses need to ensure they use their record funding far more efficiently.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are focused on improving care for patients and we want to see organisations prioritising funding for frontline services.
“NHS senior pay needs to be set at a level that enables employers to recruit, retain and motivate talented individuals to executive board level roles, at the same time as ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.”
Strikes are to blame for the rising waiting list, Rishi Sunak claims
Strikes are holding the NHS back, Rishi Sunak said as the junior doctors walk out for the fourth out of five days on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister said the health service would improve faster if medics stopped arguing about their pay.
Meanwhile, the British Medical Association accused the Government of “failing everyone”.
Trainee docs finish their strike a minute before midnight on Wednesday and must then await the result of their new ballot on another six months of patient misery.
The union has rejected all of ministers’ pay offers so far and been accused of being “unreasonable” by the health secretary.
PM Mr Sunak, speaking on a visit to York yesterday, said: “I come from an NHS family, I don’t want to run it down.
“We’re putting a record amount of investment in, more funding, more doctors, more nurses, and we’re making improvements.
“It’s not going to happen overnight but if you look at the performance of ambulances and emergency departments this winter, it’s better than it was last winter.
“Are we where we want to be? Not yet. Are we making progress? Yes, the plan is working. If we stick with it, I know that things will get better.”
Dr Robert Laurenson, BMA strike leader, said: “I think the Government are quite happy having the strikes happen.
“I find it difficult to understand if this is incompetence or malice. Either way, it fails everyone.”
The Sun revealed last week that Dr Laurenson is no longer a junior doctor and is now joining picket lines in his spare time.