CASH-strapped Dorset County Hospital has been slammed after it was revealed it was advertising for another manager on a salary of nearly £100,000 a year.

The Dorchester hospital was lambasted in a report by the Audit Commission over the amount it had spent on top management as it struggles to keep on top of its finances.

It also came under fire after it was revealed interim director Derek Smith had been paid £248,041 for just 97 days – a rate of £2,577 a day.

Now the hospital, which has signalled its intention to cut spending on staff through ‘natural wastage’ to avoid any redundancies, has advertised for a director of operations with an annual salary of £95,000.

The hospital’s previous director of operations Rupert Wainwright resigned from his position in October last year, with director of nursing Alison Tong taking on the additional responsibility. The hospital’s annual report also shows Mr Wainwright received a pay-off in lieu of notice of between £45,000 and £50,000.

The director of operations will work alongside new chief executive Jean O’Callaghan, whose salary was advertised at around £140,000 – similar to that of Prime Minister David Cameron whose salary is £142,500.

Eve Godfrey, a former secretary at the hospital who has already hit out at the amount of money spent on top management at the hospital, said to recruit another highly paid director at this time was ‘disgraceful’. She said: “I’m appalled, it never ceases to amaze me how much these people get paid.

“For that you could employ three, if not four qualified nurses and that’s what is needed, it’s disgraceful.”

Regional secretary for Unison Ian Ducat said that advertising for such a highly paid post in the current circumstances the hospital faced came across as ‘insensitive’.

However, he said the salary did not appear to be excessive for a post of that kind and could be justified if they could improve the hospital’s overall performance.

He said: “In the current climate they are in it does appear to be insensitive to be advertising a post like this just when they are looking to make cuts elsewhere.

“Clearly NHS staff and management have got to work together to try and get through the current circumstances.

“If a new manager can manage that more effectively to reduce the consequences that might not be a bad thing.”

Royal College of Nursing officer Kathy Ibbotson said she did understand concerns over the high salary in the current climate but there was a feeling at the hospital that the post was needed.

She said: “I have talked to senior nurses at the hospital and what they are saying is, while the director of nursing was doing the post for a while, it caused problems doing both posts and the general feeling is that it is a post that is needed.”

n harry.hogger@dorsetecho.co.uk