The number of 'fat cat' NHS managers earning six-figure salaries has increased by a quarter in two years, according to analysis.
Data from a Freedom of Information request shows that 837 non-clinical staff in UK hospitals were working on the highest paid Band 9 contracts in 2022-23.
In 2020 and 2021, when the coronavirus pandemic began, there were 662 people.
Ministers have previously pledged to cut spending on management consultants, with former health secretary Steve Barclay imposing a hiring freeze in 2022.
Jim McConalogue, from think tank Civitas, said the NHS should focus resources on “doctors and nurses on the front line to reduce waiting lists”.
He said: “That necessarily means that information analysts, administrative managers or human resources managers should not be paid this increased expenditure.
“The focus should continue to be on patients, and that should mean putting resources into those who have been waiting the longest to receive treatment as soon as possible.”
Rishi Sunak admitted earlier this month that he had failed to keep his promise to cut last year's waiting list, which currently stands at 7.61 million treatments.
On Monday, he blamed the NHS strike for the increase since his pledge, but insisted he was “investing record amounts” in the health service.
Latest analysis by the TaxPayers' Alliance shows that the biggest increase in non-clinical staff in the NHS from 2020 to 2021 will be in the top pay tiers.
In addition to the 837 employees within the band earning between £99,891 and £114,949, 726 people received locally arranged salaries, reserved for very senior staff.
These included a London hospital director's annual salary of £226,600 and a Bradford hospital director's annual salary of £175,100.
Bristol's Director of People and Transformation was paid £153,545.
For comparison, the average annual salary for an NHS nurse is between £35,000 and £38,000, and for junior doctors between £39,260 and £73,477.
Patients will be outraged by the proliferation of fat cat administrators
John O'Connell
Consultants earn a base salary of between £93,666 and £126,281 per year.
In total, the number of NHS non-clinical staff earning more than £50,000 has increased by 13% since 2020 to 17,718.
TPA's John O'Connell said: 'Patients will be furious at the proliferation of fat cat managers.
“When taxpayers are asked to cough up more and more for health services, they expect it to be passed on to doctors and nurses, not more people pushing pens. .
“NHS chiefs need to make record funding more efficient.”
A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said: “We are focused on improving patient care and want organizations to prioritize funding for frontline services.”
“NHS senior pay needs to be set at a level that enables employers to recruit, retain and place talented people into executive-level roles, while ensuring value for money for taxpayers. ”
Rishi Sunak claims strikes are to blame for rising waiting lists
With junior doctors absent for four of five days on Tuesday, Rishi Sunak said the strike was disrupting NHS work.
The Prime Minister said health services would improve faster if doctors stopped discussing salaries.
Meanwhile, the British Medical Association accused the government of “betraying everyone”.
Trainee doctors ended their strike one minute before midnight on Wednesday and will now have to wait for a new vote on another six months of patient misery.
The union has so far rejected all pay offers for ministers, which the Health Secretary has accused of being “unfair”.
Prime Minister Sunak, who visited York yesterday, said:
“We are investing record amounts, more money, more doctors, more nurses, and making improvements.
“It won’t happen overnight, but if you look at the performance of our ambulances and emergency departments this winter, they will be better than last winter.
“Are we where we want to be? Yet. Are we making progress? Yes, the plan is working. I know that if we keep at it, things will get better.” .”
BMA strike leader Dr Robert Lawrenson said: “I think the government is very happy with the implementation of the strike.
“It's hard to understand whether this is incompetence or malice. Either way, it fails everyone.”
The Sun revealed last week that Dr Lawrenson is no longer a junior doctor and joins picket lines in his spare time.
