NHS FD paid £47k a month

A TEMPORARY FD has been paid almost £50,000 a month from a troubled NHS trust, despite it being in “special measures”.

An investigation by the Daily Telegraph revealed that a company called Maxentius received £78,000 plus VAT in February and March by the Barts NHS Trust for Ian Miller’s services as FD.

Over a year, the £47,000 monthly payments would amass to a salary in excess of £560,000, almost triple that of NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens, who is paid £190,000 a year.

Miller, 49, who used to be employed by the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust for five months on a pro rata salary in excess of £600,000, told the Telegraph that the figures did not give a full picture of his true earnings as tax and pension deductions were made at higher rates than those of ordinary employees.

The trust, in charge of a trio of London hospitals – Whipps Cross, Newham and the Royal London – shelled out £192m on temporary doctors and nurses over a three year period.

A Telegraph probe earlier this month revealed that Barts, which is already on “special measures” had spent record amounts on agency workers. In three years, it shelled out £192m on temporary doctors and nurses.

Last month, the trust received a damning inspection report from The Care Quality Commission.

A spokesman for the trust, which is predicted to report a £135m deficit this year, said: “We have previously made clear that we required Ian Miller’s support because he was available immediately – for a period of up to six months – and because he had the experience needed to lead the finance department of the largest trust in the country. We now have that expertise in house, and consequently, Ian Miller’s short term contract recently ended.”

The role of Miller, a former PwC director, has now been taken over at Barts by Chrisha Alagaratnam, Bart’s director of delivery and improvement since April 2015 and before that Epsom and St Helier’s interim chief executive.