NHS managers’ salaries have soared by more than £1.1 billion, despite repeated failures to hit targets, the Mail can reveal.
While staff numbers in the health service in England have swelled by 10,000 in a decade, 1,150 fully qualified GPs have left in the same period.
As the army of managers grows, hospitals and ambulances are consistently failing to meet performance targets related to waiting lists, cancer treatment, and response times.
A recent survey has revealed that 83 per cent of Britons have major concerns about the current state of the health service and doubt that Labour’s plans will be able to address these issues effectively.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has issued a warning stating that hospitals that are unable to meet the required standards will be publicly identified in league tables, and NHS managers who do not deliver improvements will face dismissal.
He told bosses there will be ‘no more rewards for failure’ as he set out measures aimed at tackling poor performance.
But an analysis of NHS figures shows the spiralling salary bill for under-fire managers has increased by 69 per cent in a decade to £2.8 billion last year.
Helen Morgan, health and social care spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, said patients were ‘suffering the consequences’ of poor management.
NHS managers’ salaries have soared by more than £1.1 billion, despite repeated failures to hit targets. Pictured: Health Secretary Wes Streeting
While staff numbers in the health service in England have swelled by 10,000 in a decade, 1,150 fully qualified GPs have left in the same period (Stock image)
She added: ‘With our health service under more pressure than ever, the previous Conservative government’s failure to tackle NHS wait times and falling productivity was a shocking dereliction of duty. It is patients who are now suffering the consequences.
‘The new Labour government must get a grip on why despite drastic rises in spending on NHS managers, productivity has fallen.
‘Crumbling hospitals and ancient computers are surely part of the reason managers are struggling to make change, but the Health Secretary must dig deeper if patients are to get the care they need.
‘That’s why the Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to launch an investigation into falling productivity across the NHS… and finding ways to boost productivity to ensure NHS managers are providing value for money.’
The survey of more than 1,000 people revealed major fears about the health service and faltering confidence in its future.
It showed that 83 per cent of people have concerns about the NHS, with just over half (51 per cent) saying they did not believe Mr Streeting’s plans to reform the health service will make any difference over the next five years.
This rose to 65 per cent who answered ‘no’ when asked if they were confident any improvements would be made in the next 12 months.
The NHS has continued to recruit managers in a bid to halt its decline, with their number ballooning by 36 per cent in a decade – from 29,144 to 39,595.
A survey of more than 1,000 people revealed major fears about the health service and faltering confidence in its future (Stock image)
Helen Morgan (pictured), health and social care spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, said patients were ‘suffering the consequences’ of poor management
The figures include all employees classed as ‘managers’ or ‘senior managers’, with the latter earning an average of £90,144 a year, up from £77,415 in 2015.
The Office for National Statistics says NHS productivity fell by more than 6 per cent between 2015 and 2022, the last time it published its productivity index.
A major review of the NHS, commissioned by Mr Streeting and conducted last year by consultant surgeon Lord Ara Darzi, found the NHS spent less on managers than other country’s health systems.
But Lord Darzi added: ‘The problem is not too many managers but too few with the right skills and capabilities.’
He said poorly performing managers meant too many doctors were pulled away from delivering care to perform administrative tasks, which was an inefficient use of their time.
He added: ‘We need to invest in developing managerial talent and creating the conditions for success.’
Under Mr Streeting’s plans, persistently failing managers will be replaced and turnaround teams sent into trusts that are running big financial deficits or offering patients a poor service.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘Managers play a vital role in the NHS, including by giving clinical professionals the time they need to treat and care for patients.
Matthew Taylor (pictured), chief executive of the NHS Confederation said managers ‘play a vital role in the NHS’ and only make up a ‘small part of the workforce at 2 per cent’
‘They also make up only a small part of the workforce at 2 per cent.
‘The evidence is clear that the NHS is not over-managed. In fact, our research and other independent research has shown that it is under-managed compared to many international systems – this was also highlighted by Lord Darzi in his report.
‘The NHS is going to need all of its hardworking staff, including managers, if it is going to drive down waiting lists and improve productivity – both of which are key priorities for the Government.’
Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, said: ‘Given the huge range of pressures on the NHS, we need to do more to attract and keep talented managers so that frontline staff can focus on what they do best – delivering high quality patient care.’
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: ‘To ensure our Plan for Change will turn around our NHS, we need the best and brightest managing the health service.
‘Last month the Secretary of State promised that as part of our Ten-year Health Plan we will reform the NHS so that it rewards success and acts decisively on failure.
‘We are also investing over £2 billion in NHS technology and digital improvements to increase productivity so patients get more out of it for what taxpayers put in.’
