‘Disgraceful behaviour’

Bumper bonuses for top bosses at NHS Property Services are ‘a disgrace’, as the health service grapples with a funding crisis and growing waiting lists, Unite has said.

Media reports said that four executive directors were paid about ÂŁ180,000 in bonuses in 2017-18. The payments came in the same year as the company recorded a ÂŁ40.9m deficit.

“The NHS is in crisis, yet this outsourced health agency chose to award senior directors tens of thousands of pounds in bumper bonuses on top of salaries that range from ÂŁ130,000 to ÂŁ165,000,” said Unite national officer for health Jackie Williams.

“NHS Property Services is meant to be using its expertise to manage its portfolio of 3,500 buildings and should not be used as a conduit to give spectacularly ill-judged bonuses when the NHS is looking for every penny to enhance frontline services for patients.

“What has occurred is nothing short of disgraceful behaviour.

“Ironically, NHS Property Services was established under the flawed reforms, when Andrew Lansley was health secretary, which were supposed to make the NHS more efficient in terms of resource allocation.”