"Oops! I just bought a new boat" Tweets boss of cash-strapped NHS trust - Telegraph.co.uk

His gaffe, on July 15, stunned workers in Gloucestershire who face an anxious few months to discover whether their pay will be slashed.

2gether NHS Foundation Trust is one of 19 across the South West to sign-up to a consortium reviewing staff pay conditions in an attempt to reduce costs by 2013.

All staff earning more than £21,000 could face a pay cut, with less leave and bank holiday pay. Sickness and unsociable hours pay could also be slashed.

Employees who fail to agree to the new proposals could be made redundant and forced to sign new terms of employment if they fail to agree to the proposals.

Chris Moore, coordinator for Stroud Against The Cuts, said he thought the comments were an outrageous show of arrogance from management.

He said: "At a time when NHS staff are being told their pay and conditions are under attack, it is outrageous that management can behave in this way.

"It shows a complete arrogance of management. I believe they are putting their own interests before the interests of staff and patients at the NHS."

A worker at the 2gether Trust, who did not wish to be named, said many employees had been horrified by Mr Clee's comments.

He said: "To me it seems insulting to people who follow him. I believe it shows a degree of poor judgment.

"Staff want a leader who they can look up to and admire. People are absolutely incensed. You shouldn't put it in other people's faces. It's not the right as a leader."

Mr Clee, who is married to wife Sarah, has 32 years of experience in the NHS and moved into management in 1990.

A spokesman for the 2gether Trust admitted the timing of Mr Clee's comments had not been sensitive.

He said: "The timing of the message on Mr Clee's personal twitter feed was regretful as we appreciate staff have ongoing concerns around our membership of the pay consortium.

"There are no formal proposals for us to consider and we are committed to continuing our work with our staff side representatives to discuss any issues we may want to consider."