Fury as rise in £100k salaries pushes up spending at NHS

A RISE in the number of health workers on salaries of £100,000 or more cost NHS Lothian millions of pounds last year, it has emerged.

Despite facing having to make huge savings, dozens more clinical and non-clinical staff are raking in top salaries.

The news has prompted sharp criticism from patients' groups. However, health chiefs in Edinburgh said that the pay levels reflected the size of the board and were set nationally.

The figures released showed that in 2009 NHS Lothian spent 53 million paying 100,000-plus salaries to 412 employees. The number rose last year to 461, and it now costs the organisation more than 70m a year.

Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott, whose party compiled the damning report, said more action had to be taken at Holyrood level not just to drive down NHS Lothian staff costs, but public sector organisations across Scotland.

NHS Lothian has a 70m black hole in its finances and is being forced to lose 2000 jobs by the end of next year.

Details from its accounts reveal all but three of those in the 100,000-plus bracket are clinical staff.

Lothians Conservative MSP Gavin Brown said: "NHS Lothian should be looking to save costs in this field whilst also continuing to find other efficiencies in order to divert funds to front line services.

"It is vitally important that the best value is sought."

Margaret Watt, chairwoman of the Scotland Patients Association, said: "There should be a pay freeze at the highest level until these costs can come down - that's what everyone else has to live with."

The papers showed NHS Lothian to have the most 100,000-plus staff in Scotland among the boards which provided figures. However, the NHS in Glasgow, which was not included, is known to have more than 700 high earners.

Alan Boyter, the health board's director of HR and organisational development, said: "NHS Lothian is the second largest health board in Scotland and our employee wage bill reflects this.

"The rise in number of clinicians paid over 100,000 is a consequence of being on incremental pay scales and therefore they will earn higher salaries year on year."