Councillor ‘silenced in attempt to reveal health chief’s pay rise’

Karen Jackson, chief executive of Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has faced calls to resign since the Yorkshire Post revealed last month that her pay had risen to £170,000, an increase of £25,000.

The trust, which runs hospitals in Goole, Grimsby and Scunthorpe, was placed in “special measures” in July after a litany of failings was uncovered in a government-ordered review carried out by NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh.

The rise, which was awarded in April last year, was officially made public yesterday when the trust’s annual report was presented to its annual members’ meeting at Scunthorpe Hospital.

Discussion of Mrs Jackson’s pay dominated the meeting, which trust chairman Doctor James Whittingham opened by saying she had been paid “significantly below the going rate” when appointed in 2010 and had turned down a rise after her first year.

He said that, although Mrs Jackson was still “significantly” underpaid, with a benchmark salary being around £185,000, she was being regularly head-hunted and the trust did not want to lose her.

Responding to these comments, East Riding Independent councillor Josie Head said: “It would have been made public last year but the trust chose to threaten me with legal action.

“The local press wouldn’t print it because I sent a piece to them and they contacted you as they always do and the threat was legal action.”

Dr Whittingham replied: “I have absolutely no knowledge of what you are talking about.

“It’s in the public domain, it’s published in the annual report, and it’s subject, I guess, to Freedom of Information.”

Lead governor Paul Grinell told the meeting he had heard that North East Lincolnshire Council was going to debate a motion today calling for the chief executive and board to consider their positions, and wanted to make a personal statement.

He said: “Over the last six months or more, I think our executive team from the chairman, chief executive and board downwards should be commended on the way they have responded to that (Keogh) and on actions they have put in place and continue to do so.

“I have every confidence and support all these people in these activities. I believe the trust is heading in the right direction and will continue to do so.”

Fellow governor Harold Edwards said he thought it was “despicable” that the trust was being used for “political ping-pong to score points”.

He added: “It’s a sad day for healthcare in this country when points are scored on the NHS which is one of the best things in this country.”

Another governor, Maureen Blackburn, said: “Before we had the present team we didn’t know what was going on. I have never been more proud of the team than I am now.”

Dr Whittingham said it was “extremely reassuring” to hear such supportive comments.

The trust was put into special measures following publication of the Keogh Review into 14 NHS trusts with higher than expected mortality rates.

It had been flagged as an “outlier” after recording higher than expected death rates in each of the last two years, having a Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR) of 118 in 2012, and 116 in 2011, when the expected average was 100.

Mrs Jackson told the meeting that according to the latest information for April this year the trust was no longer an outlier, but this would not be reflected when the latest data, which only goes up to March, is published next January.

Failings uncovered in the review included patients in Grimsby being deprived of fluids and patients having to wait in a car park at Scunthorpe because the A&E department was full.

Patients were also being moved from A&E to avoid breaching triage targets, and patients being given “inappropriate” food, the review found.