NHS boss banks £250,000 “golden goodbye” after quitting days before damning watchdog report

AN NHS boss who left his job just days before the release of a damning watchdog report banked a £250,000 “golden goodbye”.

Richard Carey stood down as the £170,000-a-year chief executive of NHS Grampian last year after admitting some senior medical staff no longer had confidence in his leadership.

Just two days later watchdogs published a damning dossier criticising health services in Aberdeen, including fears poor leadership was impacting on patient care.

Now The Sunday Post can reveal Mr Carey’s £1.3 million pension pot was topped up with a £255,789 “compensation payment” upon his early retirement.

The cash could have funded 11 nurses for 12 months.

Lib Dem health spokesman Jim Hume MSP said there are “real questions” over whether this was really the best use of a substantial amount of public cash.

He said: “It is right that we recognise good performance in our public sector but the NHS should not be making big payoffs to reward failure.

“This is a huge sum of money paid out to the chief executive of a health board that was experiencing substantial difficulties.”

The figures released in NHS Grampian’s latest accounts show Mr Carey’s payment was worked out in accordance with NHS pension scheme rules.

Former £160,000-a-year medical director Dr Roelf Dijkhuizen, who quit NHS Grampian in October last year, also saw his pension pot topped up by £21,431 under the same scheme.Scandal of animal charity fat cat: Scottish SPCA chief’s £216,320 pay deal as animals suffer – click here to read moreSpending watchdog Audit Scotland earlier this month warned the NHS is struggling to cope with demand and financial pressures. It highlighted boards such as Grampian where staff shortages are among the worst in the country.

Scottish Labour’s Lewis Macdonald said: “People will be appalled to find out that NHS managers are getting huge payoffs.

“There is already millions of pounds of waste in NHS budgets.

“It’s time the SNP Government focused on delivering the care patients need from our NHS instead of these golden goodbye deals.”

NHS Grampian has faced a series of challenges in recent years having lost its chairman, chief executive and medical director over the course of 2014.

Senior clinicians at the health board claimed medics were “exhausted” because of staff shortages and consultants said patients were being put at risk because key roles in the accident and emergency department were vacant.

Last week the NHS whistleblower who was accused of bullying after he spoke out about patient safety was cleared of all allegations by the General Medical Council.

Surgeon Malcolm Loudon’s concerns sparked the Healthcare Improvement Scotland probe which was critical of the NHS Grampian but found himself accused of bullying by the health board.

A spokeswoman for NHS Grampian said: “With agreement of the board, Mr Carey stepped down from his position as chief executive on November 30 2014 and remained an employee until taking early retirement on January 19 2015.

“In line with the scheme rules and based on accrued reckonable service at the date of retirement a single compensation payment was made to the NHS Pension Scheme administered by the Scottish Public Pensions Agency.

“No redundancy payment, no service enhancement and no other compensation for loss of office was received by Mr Carey.”Pay-off cap pleaSNP ministers are being urged to follow Westminster’s lead and cap public sector pay-offs at £95,000.

The Tories are introducing legislation which will end the bumper exit payments for UK Government civil servants.

Only workers who earn less than £27,000 would be exempt from the cap which is aimed at ending the eye watering redundancy deals for top managers.

But the Scottish Government and its agencies have still to sign up to the principle.

Scottish Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone said: “This is something on which the Scottish Government should swallow its pride and follow Westminster’s lead.

“It’s clear if our public finances are to recover, we need to keep these payments in check.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “In line with existing devolution of responsibilities over public sector pay, Scottish Ministers are seeking full powers around the cap from the outset, including the power to vary the cap up or downwards.

“We would undertake a formal consultation in advance of any use of these powers, to ensure such provisions are right for Scotland.”Revealed: Brutal reality of life in the NHS – click here to read more