Ambulance chief denies officials received bonuses despite failures
Organisation adamant that directors have not received pay incentives since 2015/16 after MLA voices concern
THE head of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service has denied its most senior officials received thousands of pounds of bonuses while the organisation was failing to meet basic safety standards.
Chi e f exe c ut i ve Michael Bloomfield has told the Stormont health committee he was “absolutely clear” on the matter.
Mr Bloomfield, who was appointed in March 2018, appeared in front of MLAS yesterday to provide a briefing on the performance of the NI Ambulance Service (NIAS) during the pandemic.
People Before Profit Alliance MLA Gerry Carroll raised concerns that seven out of eight NIAS directors received a bonus at the same time the organisation was in special measures due to a failure to meet standards.
Mr Bloomfield responded: “I would like to be very, very clear on this Gerry, there are no bonuses. I think that must be the way that it’s reflected in the annual accounts in relation to the breakdown of pay or perhaps pensions, but I am absolutely clear and I’m very, very confident that no directors in the organisation has received any bonuses.
“T h ey ’ ve re c e ive d their straight pay, which is a matter of public record, it’s in the annual accounts.”
A statement issued by NIAS after the evidence session said: “The figures included in the annual report and accounts are accrued estimates of potential payments which have not been paid given there have been no related departmental circulars.
“Since 2015/16 there has been no payment of performance related pay or any other discretionary payment or bonus to any NIAS directors.”
According to the NIAS annual accounts for the end of March 2020, five and seven directors received “bonus/performance pay”, in 2018/19 and 2019/20 respectively, with some receiving up to £10,000 on top of their salary.
In the case of Mr Bloomfield, the document has recorded that in 2019/20, he received a salary between £90,000 and £95,000, bonus/performance pay up to £5,000 and pensions benefit of £20,000. He also received benefits in kind of £300, with the total coming to between £115,000 and £120,000.
According to the appendix, “the single total figure of remuneration includes salary, bonus/ performance pay, benefit in kind, as well as pension benefits”.
It continues: “Bonuses relate to the performance in the year in which they become payable to the individual.”
In March 2018, the Belfast Telegraph revealed that ambulance bosses were facing official sanctions after repeatedly failing to address filthy vehicles and blood splattered equipment.
It came after Northern Ireland’s health watchdog carried out unannounced spot checks at 21 ambulance stations across Northern Ireland in just one day.
The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) was so concerned by conditions at ambulance stations and inside vehicles that it asked the Department of Health to intervene. It was the first time it ever took such action against one of Northern Ireland’s health trusts.
Speaking after yesterday’s hearing, Mr Carroll said: “I really am at odds to understand NIAS’ explanation of whether their directors were indeed receiving bonuses worth in the region of £5,000 to £10,000, despite the fact the organisation had serious questions asked of it by the RQIA for the last number of years.”