Health chiefs bonuses row

Bosses at NHS Tayside have pocketed performancerelated bonuses despite the organisation having to rely on repeated bailouts over the years.

The health board has an £11.6million potential deficit projected for 2016-17 and has received £24.3million from the Scottish Government over the past four years to plug financial black holes.

Despite that, it has emerged senior staff earning between £44,810 and £179,108 have been given “progression” rises.

NHS managers are graded in five categories – from “unacceptable” to “outstanding” – triggering pay rises from one to three per cent.

Figures covering 2013 to 2015 show no senior managers at Tayside were given an “unacceptable” rating.

There were 111 staff rated at the third tier of “fully acceptable”, while 32 got fourth tier “superior” grades.

Labour MSP Jenny Marra, the convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Public Audit Committee, said: “I think frontline staff and patients would question the fairness of NHS managers in Tayside receiving performance bonus payments when the finances of the health board are in such disarray.”

A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “All performance review arrangements are undertaken in line with instructions issued through Scottish Government Circulars, including national scrutiny of any recommendations made by health boards with regard to individual performance assessments.”