Rich list reveals Lincolnshire NHS Trust bosses on over £200k

Criticisms have been raised over the salaries of Lincolnshire Trust bosses after a public sector rich list named many as earning in excess of £200,000 at failing hospitals.

The TaxPayers’ Alliance list revealed that hundreds of NHS employees in Lincolnshire received in excess of £100,000 from the public purse in the year 2013-14.

Some of the highest paid NHS bosses in the county are named in what was the second instalment of The TaxPayers’ Alliance’s annual rich list statistics, published on November 10.

The study focused on the year a review into care placed both United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust in ‘special measures‘.

The pay packages, uncovered through Freedom of Information requests, revealed that 50,000 employees of the UK’s NHS organisations and general practitioners that year received total remuneration over £100,000.

Remuneration sums included any employer’s pension contributions, which are not included in NHS bodies’ accounts of salaries.

A list of the highest paid NHS Trust employees in Lincolnshire (2013-14) included the names of five trust bosses:

1. Jane Lewington – United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust Chief Executive (former) – £202,350
2. Kevin Turner – United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust Director of Strategy and Performance – £162,450
3. Undisclosed – Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Medical Director – £183,540
4. Karen Jackson – Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive – £207,500
5. Angie Smithson – Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Chief Operating Officer – £152,500
6. Elizabeth Scott – Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Medical Director – £177,500

The overwhelming majority of staff on six-figure earnings were consultants.

Some 181 (plus three non-clinical) employees and general practitioners at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) earned over £100,000, with the highest paid member of staff listed on a remuneration total of £247,500.

Sixty two ULHT remuneration sums were disclosed in the list, all of which being between £152,500 and £247,500.

A United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust spokesperson said: “The pay of an NHS Chief Executive is agreed by the Department of Health and any other senior members of staff are agreed on by a remuneration committee.

“All other members of staff within the trust paid more than £100,000 are medical consultants and the pay offered to them reflects doctors’ pay nationally.”

At Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust, one person was listed as earning in excess of £100,000.

At Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 18 employees were listed as receiving at least £100,000 in the year 2013-14.

At Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 209 employees were noted as receiving in excess of £100,000.

The highest paid consultant at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was on a remuneration sum of £242,500.

The Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Groups listed as employing staff with remuneration of over £100,000 are:

• South Lincolnshire CCG – One employee
• Lincolnshire East CCG – One employee
• Lincolnshire West CCG – Two employees
• North East Lincolnshire CCG – Two employees
• North Lincolnshire CCG – One employee

The figures have sparked criticisms from the TaxPayers’ Alliance, who in particular call out bosses as failing hospitals, who continued to earn six figure salaries in 2013-14.

Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the TPA, said: “No one begrudges paying doctors and nurses well for the tough jobs that they do, but it’s galling to see bosses at failing hospitals continuing to rake in the cash.

“It’s an insult to taxpayers, but it’s even worse for the patients who have suffered because of mismanagement, and worse.

“The rewards-for-failure culture is rife in the NHS and it must be stamped out as a matter of urgency.”

The research follows the publication of the TaxPayers’ Alliance’s Town Hall Rich List, which showed over 60 employees of Lincolnshire councils earn six-figure salaries.