Cap pay-offs for senior Welsh NHS staff, say Welsh Conservatives
A Welsh Conservative Government would limit pay-offs for senior staff in the Welsh NHS, and undertake a wider review of senior manager pay in the health service.
The plans are being announced today as part of a wider set of initiatives aimed at promoting financial responsibility.
In November, it was revealed that former Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Chief Executive (Trevor Purt) is still receiving his £200,000 a year salary, despite having stepped down and moved to a job in England.
Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Health, Darren Millar, said:
“The people of Wales are fed up of senior managers departing the Welsh NHS with six figure sum pay-offs that many could only dream of.
“It’s time to put an end to a system which appears to reward failure and replace it with one which is fair to everyone in the health service and fair to the taxpayer.
“Wales can ill-afford to be giving golden goodbyes to people who leave health boards under a cloud, especially at a time when our health service is reeling from record-breaking cuts imposed by the Welsh Labour Government.”
Number of Welsh NHS staff paid over £100,000 – “deeply worrying”
The commitment comes as figures revealed by the Welsh Conservatives show increasing numbers of employees in the Welsh NHS being paid in excess of £100,000 per year and more managers in a number of Welsh Health Boards.
A Welsh Conservative Government after the election in May would undertake a wider review of pay in the health service to “ensure fairness and restore confidence in the system”.
In the 2014/15 financial year 1,615 Welsh NHS employees, including clinical staff, were paid more than £100,000; compared to 1,515 in 2012/13.
The number varied significantly from health board to health board [figures for 14/15]:
· ABMU: 425
· Aneurin Bevan: 8
· Betsi Cadwaladr: 414
· Cardiff & Vale: 360
· Cwm Taf: 181
· Hywel Dda: 222
· Powys: 5
· TOTAL: 1,616
Figures show that Betsi Cadwaladr UHB, Powys and Aneurin Bevan have all seen a significant rise in management staff since 2012.
The north Wales health board, which has been beset by scandals in recent years, has seen a jump from 262 full-time equivalent (FTE) managers in 2012 to 286 in 2015 with average salaries up from 34 to 37 thousand pounds. The average salary for ‘senior’ managers at the board is also up from 84 to 86 thousand pounds and £50 million has been spent on managers over the past three years.
Similarly, the number of staff employed as managers at Powys THB has jumped by 36% from 49.51 FTE in 2012 to 63.22 this year, with average salaries up to 40 thousand pounds.The number of ‘clinical support’ staff at the board has fallen.
At Aneurin Bevan UHB, the number of senior managers now stands at 27.31 FTE, up from 25.51 three years previously. The health board employs 242 other management staff, up from 215.
Mr Millar said:
“It’s deeply worrying that there are now more than 1600 Welsh NHS employees on six figure salaries, at a time when Welsh Labour’s budget cuts have placed frontline services under huge pressure.
“I am also concerned about the rising cost and number of NHS ‘managers’ in Wales, and communities will rightly question how these Welsh health boards can possibly justify the employment of more managers, on more money, when waiting times are getting longer and nurses, midwives and doctors are under pressure like never before.
“These figures highlight significant inconsistencies throughout the Welsh NHS in terms of management pay. A Welsh Conservative Government would undertake a review of senior manager pay in the health service to ensure fairness and restore public confidence in the system.”
