New research published today by the TaxPayers' Alliance reveals that hospital trusts rated 'Inadequate' spent nearly £1 million on Clinical Excellence Awards for staff in 2014. Even more baffling for taxpayers footing the bills is the revelation that even more of these pay awards for excellence are being handed out at trusts rated 'Inadequate' than those rated 'Outstanding'.
Key findings:
- The value of new awards given to consultants at 'Inadequate' trusts was £974,930
- 1 in every 8.1 consultants at 'Inadequate' trusts received an award while a new award was made for every 8.2 consultants at 'Outstanding' trusts
- In total, 279 awards were handed out to 2,261 consultants in trusts rated 'Inadequate'
- The 'Inadequate' rated Trust to give out the highest number of awards - 80 awards worth £312,562 - was Barts Health NHS Trust
Commenting on the research, Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:
"Taxpayers will struggle to understand how the worst-rated trusts appear to be handing out excellence awards at the same rate as the best-rated trusts. There is a case for celebrating outstanding contributions in the workplace, but struggling hospitals surely need to prioritise improving their standards rather than doling out performance bonuses seemingly as a matter of course.
"It is hard not to conclude that a rewards for failure culture is alive and well in many of the trusts deemed inadequate. They need to concentrate on improving that damning rating as it means that patients are failing to get the healthcare they expect and deserve.”
Please click here for the full briefing note