MAD SALARIES AT GREATER MANCHESTER NHS TRUST!

WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY SEES MAD SALARIES AT GREATER MANCHESTER NHS TRUST

Star date: 10th October 2012

AS £80,000 IS CUT FROM SALFORD MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES…NHS TRUST DIRECTORS EARN OVER £100,000.

Today is World Mental Health Day, which aims to `raise public awareness about mental health issues’. One of the biggest issues around mental health.

In Salford is a proposed cut of £80,000 to mental health services.

So today, as the Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust holds its Annual Members Meeting at The Lowry, the Salford Star raises public awareness of the salaries and perks of its Directors and Chief Officers…and there’s no shortage of funding here!

£80,000 SALFORD COUNCIL CUT TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE – £100,000s FOR MENTAL HEALTH FAT CATS

It’s been a torrid month for users of Salford mental health services, since they found out that three community care workers posts were being axed to save £80,000. And that the workers would no longer be allowed to support the drop-in groups which, for many people with mental health disorders, are a lifeline to the outside world. The decision is being made by Salford Council, as thecommissioners' of the service and the Greater Manchester West NHS Foundation Trust, as theproviders’. The decision is currently going through a consultation process with service users. Except that the option to retain the community care workers’ posts and their support for the drop-in groups is, er, not an option, leading people to say that the consultation is a sham.

A big campaign has sprung up to save the drop-in groups and over the past few weeks, Labour Party Leader Ed Miliband has been involved (see here) and sohas Salford City Mayor, Ian Stewart.

Today is World Mental Health Day which aims to`raise public awareness about mental health issues’. And today, the Greater Manchester West NHS Foundation Trust holds its Annual Members Meeting at The Lowry.

The Salford Star thought it might be a good idea to raise public awareness of the huge salaries and perks afforded to directors and officers working forthe Trust, while it has been instrumental in pushing for the cut in Salford Council’s mental health services…

Seven, very part time, Non Executive Directors shared well over £100,000 between them, according to the Trust’s last published accounts for 2010-11.

Its Chair, Alan Maden, received a salary in the band £40-45,000, three other Non Execs (M Chapman, Prof K Luker and B Slater) pocketed between £15-20,000; while a further three (J Bashford, T McDonnell and M Cowen) received between £10-15,000.

Meanwhile, the Trust’s Chief Executive, Bev Humphrey, got a salary in the range of £135-140,000 plus £3,300 worth of leased car as a `benefit in kind’.

Three Trust Directors (A Maloney, J Peers and N Thwaite) earned between £95-100,000, with a leased car as a`benefit in kind’ ranging from £700 to £1,500.

Director of HR and Governance, A Maloney, got a huge pay rise of £30,000 from the previous year.

Medical Director, S Colgan got two lots payments – a salary in the range of £95-100,00 plus `other remuneration’ worth between £95-100,000, giving the Director just shy of £200,000.

And over at Salford Council, those directly making the £80,000 cut are not doing badly financially either – Sue Lightup, the Strategic Director for Community, Health and Social Care, got a salary package worth £133,777 last year, while Councillor Peter Connor, the Assistant Mayor with responsibility for Adult Services gets over £23,000 for his part time post.

At the Annual Members Meeting today a new, more up to date, set of accounts will be produced for the Greater Manchester West NHS Foundation Trust, with, probably, more up to date news on the cuts to mental health services. And while those with mental health disorders suffer the brunt of those cuts, huge payments will continue to be paid to Directors, Non Exec Directors, Chief Execs, Strategic Officers and Assistant Mayors…

**

Happy World Mental Health Day!

**