News from MiP

10 March 2010

(for immediate release)

MiP criticises pay freeze for very senior managers as gesture politics

MiP criticised today's government announcement of a pay freeze for very senior managers in the NHS as gesture politics.

Jon Restell, MiP chief executive, said:

'This announcement is another chip away at the motivation of senior managers in the NHS. We know that these are tough times for the British economy, and we know that senior managers must shoulder some responsibility. We hoped for fair treatment but got gesture politics.

'We are disappointed that the government has ignored detailed recommendations from the pay review body. For example, the review body rightly wanted to address the problem of some board level managers at the lower end of the pay scale who earn less than staff who report to them. Its proposal to give them the same rise as nurses and other health workers would cost the taxpayer less than £40,000 for the whole of England and put right a silly situation that puts people off seeking promotion into difficult key NHS jobs.

'Why does the government bother taking independent and expert advice? Objective common sense recommendations are ignored for pure politics. This is no way to manage a major organisation that the public values so much.'

The full report of the senior salaries review body is available on the OME website:

32nd senior salaries review body report 2010