Trust's £900-a-day bill for boss

An NHS trust has justified paying almost £900 a day to a recruitment company for a deputy chief executive.

Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust hired Sue Barnett on a temporary basis and has since extended her contract.

It is not known how much of the fee of £65,338 the specialist company, Odgers Interim, gave Ms Barnett for her work.

The trust said it had decided not to make a full-time appointment but since taking up the post Ms Barnett had made a major contribution to its success.

"It is because of her achievements that the board has agreed to extend her contract," the trust said in a statement.

Details of how much payment went from Odgers to Ms Barnett, whose contract runs until October, were not being disclosed, a trust spokeswoman added.

Matthew Sinclair, policy analyst at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "With ordinary taxpayers footing such a large bill to support the NHS, and many patients being denied vital drugs, it is shocking to see money being wasted paying such an extravagant wage for an NHS official.

"Having to use a temporary member of staff for so long is bad for the broader management of the trust and awful value for money.

"NHS organisations need to manage their staff much more effectively so that they can stop getting into these kinds of situations and costing taxpayers a fortune."