Minister must give hospitals power to slash mega salaries, says think tank - The Sun

HOSPITALS should be given the power to slash wealthy doctors' pay, a think tank said yesterday.

A report by Reform called on the Government to axe national NHS wage deals so local trusts can decide how to spend taxpayers' cash. It also said consultants on six-figure salaries should no longer have a "job for life".

Hospitals should take advantage of a "surplus" of doctors to review medical ranks and "drive down pay", it added.

The number of medical students has grown from 2,000 in 1960 to 8,000 in 2010. It means the number of consultants is to rise 60 per cent by 2020 — costing taxpayers an extra £2.2billion.

The report also urged ministers to relax immigration rules for doctors so hospitals can recruit freely from overseas.

Researchers said local pay deals would improve care for patients by rewarding the best performing staff. They praised 20 NHS trusts in the South West that formed a group to break away from national schemes.

Nick Seddon, deputy director of Reform, said: "There is a glaring contradiction between Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt's goal of a higher quality NHS and his department's support for national pay arrangements."

But Unison warned of "massive industrial unrest across the NHS".

e.ashton@the-sun.co.uk