A Tayside health chief has called for the abolition of a national doctors’ award scheme that can boost already high salaries by as much as £75,889.
Ruth Leslie-Melville has just learned that NHS Tayside will hand over nearly £4 million this year to 70 local doctors benefiting from the distinction awards.
The bonuses are in addition to salaries that can be in excess of £100,000.
She says the money could be better spent on patient care.
The non-executive member of the board of NHS Tayside and Provost of Angus said, “We were upset by banks and bankers getting millions.
“I think equally we should be upset about our cash-strapped NHS, to my mind, squandering money on well-paid employees.
“I am 100% behind people receiving good salaries for a good job I cannot, and will not ever support putting more icing on a very well-iced cake.”
Late last year health secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced that from April 1 there would be no increase in the value of distinction awards, no new awards created and no progression through the scheme that has three different payment levels.
Though no more consultants will be able to apply for the scheme, NHS Tayside already has 70 consultants in a number of specialities benefiting from it.
In the present financial year the Scottish Government has given NHS Tayside £3,423,000 for the awards.
The total cost of the scheme in Tayside this year is estimated to be £3.86 million, meaning the health authority will have to fund the awards.
“There is much need for this money in the health service,” said Mrs Leslie-Melville.
“I would happily take the health secretary round various parts of the NHS and show her where that money could be well spent.”
She would like to see the money currently spent on distinction awards invested in more appropriate care for people stuck in expensive, acute care hospital beds when they do not need that level of care.
“We have an issue, on occasion, with patients not being able to move out of the beds because there is nowhere else for them to go,” said Mrs Leslie-Melville.
“If we could take patients out of high tech beds at Ninewells Hospital and move them somewhere more appropriate or back home, that would release a lot of cash within the NHS.”
The average cost of a bed per day at Ninewells is £427, with critical care and high dependency beds costing more.
“I don’t want the distinction awards frozen I want them abolished all together,” said Mrs Leslie-Melville.
“This is not a Tayside issue in particular it’s the same across the UK.
“I think it’s time for the government to bite the bullet.”
A UK-wide review of awards schemes is being undertaken by the Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body, which is due to report in July.