Alliance attacks NHS over non-jobs

The majority of the money (£36m) was spent on 826 public relations roles, while £6.5m was spent on 165 equality and diversity staff, with £3.5m spent on 86 “green” staff, according to an investigation carried out by the campaign group. The TPA said the money could have instead paid for 1,662 full time nurses.

Among the roles it identified after sending Freedom of Information requests to every NHS organisation in Britain was Homerton University Hospital Foundation Trust’s art curator and programme manager, who costs £33,258 a year after salary, pensions and a London weighting are taken into account.

Meanwhile, the Royal Free London Foundation Trust hired a car parking environmental officer at a cost of £34,854, while the University Hospitals Bristol Foundation Trust pay an administrator of green travel facilities £23,527, including pensions contributions. And Gateshead Foundation Trust have an energy management manager on the payroll at a cost of £40,654.

The organisation that hired the most PR staff was West and South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Commissioning Support Unit, with 36 at a cost of over £1.4m.

Five NHS trusts employed communications directors with salaries and pensions contributions topping £100,000 – Barts NHS Trust, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, North and East London CSU and Royal Brompton and Harefield Foundation Trust.

Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “Taxpayers expect the health budget to be spent on real doctors, not spin doctors.”