Mental health workers are being offered a £40,000 'golden handshake' bonus on top of their six-figure salaries, new figures reveal.
Amid the race for talent, some hospitals have resorted to offering so-called sign-on fees to attract new hires, according to an analysis by recruiting site Adzna.
The most lucrative of these was a £40,000 'welcome payment' for the role of child psychiatrist at an independent hospital in Staffordshire.
Ivetsey Bank Hospital in Staffordshire said the sign-on bonus would encourage the “best and most suitable candidates” to apply and ensure that “patients and residents receive the best care”.
The children's hospital treats complex mental health conditions such as eating disorders, psychosis, bipolar disorder and emerging personality disorders in children ages 12 to 18.
Active Care Group, which operates the hospital, said salaries and bonuses are paid by the company, not taxpayers.
A spokesperson said: “Senior medical professionals are in high demand across the UK healthcare industry and a rigorous recruitment process continues to be in place for this role.”
Azuna said several other companies were prepared to offer five-figure sign-on bonuses to mental health workers.
Private mental health organization Cygnet is advertising a £10,000 'welcome bonus' for 'outstanding' consultant psychiatrists at Cygnet Meadowfield, a mental health hospital near Durham. Bonuses come with a salary of up to £155,000 depending on experience.
Other jobs listed by Signet included the role of Consultant Psychiatrist in Bradford, which offers a sign-on bonus of £7,000 and a salary of up to £155,000.
The company is also advertising a £4,000 bonus for consultant psychiatrists who join its hospitals in Mold, North Wales, and Brighouse, West Yorkshire. Azuna said some NHS trusts were also offering sign-on bonuses worth thousands of dollars in “hard-to-fill specialties”.
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust has advertised a £20,000 bonus for the role of Consultant Oncologist at Ipswich Hospital. The role was paid a salary of up to £126,000 per year.
Last year, the trust offered a £13,000 stipend for his role as a histopathologist at Colchester Hospital and a £7,000 relocation fee on top of his annual salary of £120,000.
A spokesperson for East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust said: 'There is a national shortage of colleagues and we are offering a very small number of recruitment incentives in a limited number of specialties that are extremely difficult to fill. They have provided money,” he said.
“Relocation allowance will only be paid if the successful applicant relocates to the area.”
Signet did not respond to a request for comment.
