Golden goodbyes for staff

A RESHUFFLE of senior health bosses saw six-figure ‘golden goodbye’ pay-outs for some.

The accounts of Locala – the notfor-profit organisation that runs community nursing in Kirklees and Calderdale – have revealed sums of £163,000 and £125,000 of public money were handed over to departing directors for “compensation for loss of office.”

A boardroom shake-up last year saw three directors leave, including chief executive Robert Flack.

Locala’s accounts for 2016/17 show a £163,000 severance was paid out in 2017, up from £125,000 the year before.

Locala has refused to name who the money went to.

Directors who left within the time frame of the accounts are former clinical director Tina Quinn and ex-strategy boss James Barwick.

Robert Flack left in September last year and so any pay-out to him will not be revealed in the accounts until later this year.

However, Mr Flack is reported to have voluntarily left “to pursue new career opportunities” and so may not be eligible for compensation.

Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff, who has recently been appointed to a Shadow Health role, said news that huge sums of public money were being paid out was “very concerning.”

And she criticised the Batleybased NHS provider for not being more forthcoming about what was going on.

She said: “I would like to see more transparency around where the money went and how that extremely large payment came about.

“Those kinds of sums could be spent on patient care. How many extra nurses could that have paid for?

“It’s very worrying considering the CQC raised significant concerns about Locala at its last inspection.”

A Locala spokesperson said: “Locala works to ensure that public funds are spent responsibly with the primary aim of ensuring high quality patient care.

“To deliver this aim of the highest quality care for our communities, work was done in the financial year 2016/17 to redefine key areas of work and director portfolios – bringing a specific focus to nursing and the quality of care.

“Whilst we cannot comment on the specific situation of individuals, we can confirm it was this work that led to the payment for loss of office that appears in the recently published accounts.”

Locala is yet to replace Robert Flack. A recruitment process is under way, with interim chief executive Natalie McMillan still in charge.