NHS bossses earning six-figure salaries received extra bonus payments of as much as £32,000, according to figures released under freedom of information regulations.
The data, uncovered by the Liberal Democrats, shows that hundreds of chief executives, departmental directors and board members of hospitals and other NHS organisations were awarded bonuses worth tens of thousands of pounds, the Guardian has reported.
Beccy Fenton, deputy chief executive of the Heart of England hospital trust, who already earns £170,000 a year, received a £32,000 bonus in 2008-09. The payment was a one-off sum for her bringing in more than £1m in consultancy work.
Anna Walker, who was chief executive of the Healthcare Commission until it was disbanded last year, earned the largest combined amount in the past three years – £68,150 on top of her six-figure salary.
Lib Dem health spokesman Norman Lamb said the bonuses were “utterly scandalous”.
“This is the first real analysis of the bonus culture at the top of the NHS, and it’s shocking,” he said.
“Bonuses of £20,000 or more are more than many NHS staff receive as their full year’s salary.”
All three main parties have vowed to eradicate NHS bureaucracy.
