NHS Marsh Scandal: "A very bad message to front-line staff"

The BBC reveal that an ambulance service boss who earns more than the Prime Minister, claimed £30,000 in 2013 and 2014 for outlay regarding hotel and transport. Antony Marsh, the head of the West Midlands and East of England Ambulance Services, earn £90,000 more than the Prime Minister. He works 3 days for the East of England Service and 2 days for the West Midlands. He goes on the hit list of the health minister Dan Poulter, who said that mr. Marsh salary package was “unacceptably high” and send a “very bad message to front-live staff”.

According to records obtained by the BBC, Mr Marsh has stayed at 92 hotels in the last 16 months and claimed over £13,000 in expenses to cover his visits. The amount includes 20 nights at the four-star Pullman St Pancras hotel in London which cost the taxpayer £4,514. Since July 2013 he has also claimed more than £10,000 in taxi and car costs and over £6,000 on train fares. The ambulance services claim that Dr Marsh’s combined role saves £130,000 in public money and said he had no choice but to stay in hotels.  A spokesperson said: ‘Like every ambulance service chief executive in England, Dr Marsh spends time in London meeting MPs, other stakeholders, officials from NHS England and working on national projects through the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives. ‘As he is currently representing two ambulance services, this work is being delivered more effectively and efficiently for the taxpayer.

Mr Marsh is currently running two ambulance trusts; he does not receive the salary of two chief executives saving the taxpayer approximately £130,000 on the cost of having a substantive chief executive in each ambulance trust. ‘By comparison, within the same two areas, there are 11 chief fire officers and 10 chief constables.
It is ludicrous to suggest that the tax payer is getting poor value for money…

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