NHS hires 5,000 more managers says Lamb

10.13.00pm GMT Thu 25th Mar 2010

Figures released today have revealed that the number of managers in the NHS increased by 4,748 in the last year – an increase of 12% – while the number of nurses only increased by 2%. The figures also reveal that:

The cost of employing this many extra managers is estimated to be £230m

There are now 44,661 managers in the NHS – an 84% increase over the last ten years

The average annual increase in managers over the last ten years has been 4.6% – the average annual increase in nurses has been only 2.4% Commenting, Norman Lamb said:

“The NHS is facing the toughest financial period in its history, yet we’re still seeing managers being recruited like there’s no tomorrow.

“Many people will be left wondering why so much money is being spent on more NHS bureaucracy when we’re in desperate need of frontline staff.

“Labour has poured huge amounts of taxpayers’ money into the NHS while failing to ensure we get good value for money.

“Yesterday’s Budget failed to set out any credible plan for reducing costs in the NHS. Labour claimed they would make the NHS more efficient, but these figures paint a different picture.

“Only the Liberal Democrats are being honest about the scale of the challenge ahead. We will start by cutting the amount spent on admin by one third and reinvesting that money in frontline services.”