Peter Black slates Labour/Plaid NHS sinecures

Following the expensive reorganisation of the NHS in 2009, it has been revealed by a Freedom Information Request that top NHS executives who were moved into new jobs following the reorganisation have had their six-figure salaries protected for up to 10 years.

More than 120 former NHS directors and managers have been redeployed elsewhere in the health service and the Welsh Assembly Government following the changes negotiated with trade unions. But they will have their salaries, which are as high as £195,000 a year in some cases, protected for years.

Peter Black, South Wales West Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Candidate said:

“It is quite shocking that as the NHS faces a difficult time with pressures on its budget, the Labour-Plaid government has protected the salaries of senior NHS executives for up to 10 years.

“The main focus of our NHS should be on the dedicated nurses and doctors working on the front line. This shows that the Labour-Plaid government’s priorities are out of synch with the priorities of the people of Wales as they protect the salaries of NHS executives who are paid as much as £195,00 a year.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats’ proposed Office of Health Spending would act as an ongoing, independent and expert assessor of the effectiveness of NHS expenditure. It will be required to monitor rigorously how each LHB and Trust spends its budget.

“When every family, charity and business is having to make every pound stretch that little bit further, Wales needs a government that does the same. Labour and Plaid Cymru have turned waste, incompetence and inefficiency into an art form.”