Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 27118 on NHS England: Pay, whether the annual salary of the Regional Director of NHS East of England is within the maximum exception zone for the salary band.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Regional Director of NHS East of England is not remunerated within the maximum exception zone for the salary band.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 27118 on NHS England: Pay, whether the Strategy Director of NHS East of England is remunerated with an annual salary within the maximum exception zone salary band.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Strategy Director of NHS East of England is remunerated within the maximum exception zone salary band.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 27118 on NHS England: Pay, whether the annual salary of the Chief Operating Officer of NHS East of England is within the maximum exception zone for the salary band.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Chief Operating Officer of NHS East of England is remunerated within the maximum exception zone salary band.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 27118 on NHS England: Pay, which posts within NHS East of England are remunerated at the ESM 1 salary band.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Of the 14 roles in the ESM 1 band in NHS East of England, those that are currently filled are:
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 27118 on NHS England: Pay, whether the annual salary of the Finance Director of NHS East of England is within the maximum exception zone for the salary band.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Finance Director of NHS East of England is remunerated within the maximum exception zone salary band.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 26430 on NHS England: Staff, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by NHS East of England Headquarters in (a) 2021, (b) 2022, (c) 2023 and (d) 2024; and what was the total salary for those employees in each of those years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the number of budgeted full-time equivalent (FTE) staff, specifically the number of budgeted posts rather than the number of staff currently employed, and the pay budget for NHS England East of England, each year from 2021/22 to 2024/25:
Year | Budgeted FTE staff | Pay budget |
2024/25 | 637 | £58,855,000 |
2023/24 | 578.24 | £45,045,000 |
2022/23 | 731.31 | £47,412,000 |
2021/22 | 599.99 | £39,366,000 |
Note: data for 2024/25 is as of the tenth month.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 27117 on Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust: Finance, what guidance his Department issues on the management steps that NHS Acute Trusts should take when they overspend their allocated budgets.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the Oversight Framework, which is currently being refreshed, NHS England closely monitors the financial performance of providers and systems, intervening and providing support where there is concern about a risk of overspending against agreed plans. Organisations with the largest financial challenges will enter NHS England's Recovery Support Programme and receive assistance from the National Intensive Support Team to strengthen financial control. Full details of the NHS Oversight Framework, Recovery Support Programme and the guidance issued to all organisations are available on NHS England's website.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the merger of Basildon, Broomfield and Southend Hospital Trusts into the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The merger of Basildon, Broomfield, and Southend Hospitals in 2020 set out to improve health outcomes for the local population and unlock the financial savings required to deliver a sustainable health economy across the mid and south Essex footprint.
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is working with the system on a medium-term plan that will review the merger benefits thus far and consider further improvements that need to be made to ensure the Trust and wider system are clinically, operationally and financially sustainable. Benefits realised since the merger include efficient and effective use of hospital beds and appointments, financial savings, and improved staff retention rates.
The Department is aware that the foundation trust entered the Recovery Support Programme in April 2024. The trust is subject to mandated support including national oversight and assurance of financial improvement.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of the capital expenditure promised to Basildon, Broomfield and Southend hospitals as part of their merger into Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust has been (a) allocated, (b) paid and (c) spent by that Trust.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The trust was awarded £118.6 million as part of the National Health Service upgrades programme for the reconfiguration of hospital services across three acute sites, namely Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Southend Hospital in Southend, and Basildon Hospital in Basildon. Between 2019/20 and 2024/25, the trust has accessed funding totalling £16.3 million that has been spent so far. More funding may be provided for completed work before the end of the financial year.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 27118 on NHS England: Pay, what the difference is between (a) operational max and (b) max exception zones in NHS Executive Senior Manager pay bands.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The operational maximum is the maximum salary rate NHS England can appoint without seeking permission from the Department. Salaries above the operational maximum require as a minimum approval from the Department’s Renumeration Committee, and depending on the amount, may also require approval from ministers and HM Treasury. Any salary above £150,000 requires approval from the Department’s ministers.
The exception zone max is the highest figure that the Department has been delegated from HM Treasury, and appointing a salary above the exception zone requires HM Treasury’s approval. It is also important to note that there are different operational and exception zone maximums depending on the grade of the NHS Executive Senior Manager role being appointed.