Managers given £1m pay-offs despite never leaving NHS

Mr Cooper told the newspaper: “Whilst I have continued to work in full-time employment in the NHS since March 2013,I have only charged for 75 per cent of my time, which I believe reflects the spirit of the letter from Sir David.”

Sir David Nicholson, chief executive of NHS England, has previously appealed to managers given payouts to wait six months before taking up a new post. Under current rules they must only wait for weeks.

Other payouts to staff still working in the NHS were:

* Steve Spoerry was paid £335,000 to £340,000 after being made redundant as managing director of Halton and St Helens Primary Care Trust. He is now working as director of strategy at South and West Yorkshire and Bassetlaw NHS Commissioning Support Unit. A spokeswoman for the unit said he was a contractor and they had followed NHS England’s guidance on re-employment.

* Annette Laban £285,000 to £290,000 after she was made redundant as chief executive of Doncaster Primary Care Trust. She has since been appointed in a part time role as a non-executive director

of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.

Neil Riley, the trust’s board secretary, said the rules on re-employment don’t apply as non-executive directors are not classed as NHS employees.

It is not suggested the managers have broken the rules, but there are calls for them to repay the money they received as redundancy.

Steve Barclay, a Conservative member of the Public Accounts Committee, said the payouts represented the “revolving door” culture of the NHS.

more