Public Sector Rich List - NHS

Throughout its 67 year history, the NHS has received large, real term budget increases for a few years followed by few years of lower spending. Between 1979 and 1997, NHS spending increased in real terms by an average of 3.2 per cent per year. 

This changed around the turn of the century when the NHS was handed big budget increases throughout the 2000s. Between 1999 and 2008, NHS spending increased in real terms by an average of 6.3 per cent per year. Since the Great Recession, NHS spending has been protected, rising very slightly above inflation.

However given impending demographic challenges and the fact that the kind of budget increases of the 2000s are simply not feasible, productivity will have to increase and pay will have to be restrained.

This was not the case in the 2000s. Indeed a 2010 report from the National Audit Office found that:

 “Over the last ten years, there has been significant real growth in the resources going into the NHS, most of it funding higher staff pay and increases in headcount. The evidence shows that productivity in the same period has gone down, particularly in hospitals.” 

This research shows which trusts employ the most highly-paid staff.

Click here for the full data tables


The key findings of this research are:

  • There were at least 50,000 employees of NHS organisations and General Practitioners who received total remuneration in excess of £100,000 in 2013-14 including:
    • 37,034 employees of NHS trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups 
    • 10,735 General Medical Practitioners in England and Wales
    • 1,794 General Dental Practitioners
    • 534 employees of NHS quangos
    • 40 employees of ambulance trusts
  • 2,381 were employed by NHS trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups in non-clinical roles

Click here for more information on how we conducted the research

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience.  More info. Okay