East Sussex Healthcare Trust consultants on ‘rich list’

Consultants were the top earners at East Sussex Hospital Trust, which runs Conquest Hospital in Hastings and Eastbourne DGH.

An investigation by the Mail and the Taxpayers’ Alliance has unearthed the earnings of the most highly paid employees at hospital trusts around the country – with information revealed under the Freedom of Information Act.

The figures from 2013 to 2014, reveal ten people at the trust were paid more than £200,000 a year, with the most highly paid consultant at the trust revealed to be earning £266,719. The findings showed 57 people at the trust earned more than £150k – all taking home more than prime minister David Cameron who earns £142,500 a year.

Consultants’ salaries were also shown to trump that of the former chief executive of the trust, Darren Grayson, and former chairman Stuart Welling. Figures published in the trust’s 2011 to 2012 annual report showed Mr Grayson, was earning between £170,000 and £175,000.

However, the trust denied the Mr Grayson, who stepped down in July following the trust’s ‘inadequate’ CQC inspection, received a generous pay off.

More than 166 people at the trust earned more than £100k a year.

NHS Trusts in England have reported a total deficit of £822m in 2014-15, compared with £115m the previous year.

Figures revealed by health regulator Monitor in May show foundation trusts racked up a deficit of £349m, while other trusts were £473m in the red.

Monica Green director of human resources said: “Based on the total payroll figures for East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, 96 per cent of the top earners are clinical staff with four per cent non-clinical staff. A large majority of the highest salaries in the trust are paid to experienced senior doctors, whose pay is agreed at a national level. We pay the appropriate levels of remuneration to ensure we have the right staff in place to provide high quality care for our patients.”

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