Health Trust chiefs rake in £1million as 1000 jobs to go

Pennine Acute Trust Chief Executive, John Saxby

Rochdale Online can reveal that the Pennine Acute Trust pays its Chief Executive and five director’s up to £880,000 in salaries – despite planning to axe 1,000 jobs.

When pension contributions are added the figure tops £1million.

The Trust, which runs the Rochdale Infirmary, the Fairfield Hospital, the Royal Oldham hospital and the North Manchester General Hospital, called an urgent meeting last night regarding jobs losses – today they said as many as 1,000 jobs will go but they hope to avoid redundancies.

The Trust needs to make savings of £45m from their total annual budget of £580m.

Figures in the Trust’s Annual Report show that the Chief Executive, John Saxby, was paid £180-185k in 2009-10.

The Director of Finance, Robert Chadwick, was paid a salary of £135-140k.

Medical Director, Ruth Jameson, was paid £175-180k.

Director of Nursing, Marian Carroll, was paid £115-120k.

Director of HR, Roger Pickering, was paid £140 - £145k.

And, Director of Facilities, John Wilkes, was paid £105-110k.

Using the median figure of these salaries, which are listed in bands of £5,000, the six are taking £865K in earnings from the Trust.

Using the top figure, the six are taking £880k in earnings from the Trust, plus pension contributions.

Councillor Jean Ashworth, from the Friends of Our Hospital Group, said: “This is where the cuts should be made. In the years that have past we could have saved thousands of pounds.

“It is scandalous.

“The bulk of the budget goes on the managerial salaries.

“Nobody knows half of them!”

Councillor Ashworth concluded: “I have been asking for this for years, that the managerial salaries are looked at.

“I wrote to Andrew Lansley a few months ago asking this to be looked at.

“This is where the cuts need to be made – not with front line staff.”

A spokesperson for the Trust said: “The Chief Executive did not get a pay rise last year and will not be getting a rise this year either.”