NHS chiefs 'handed £35 million in pay rises'

Chief executives at hospitals have been handed £35 million in pay rises last year despite pressurised NHS budgets, according to an investigation by the Daily Mail.

The newspaper's audit found that bosses received pay hikes of 6%, far higher than that received by frontline staff.

The report claimed that some executives earned more than £1 million last year, while directors at some of the worst-performing hospitals had received up to £5,000 a day.

Among the statistics reported by the paper include:

Following the claims, Government adviser Dr Ros Altmann said the figures were "on the scale of the MPs' expenses scandal".

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the paper "a future Conservative government would ask the Department of Health to look at the Mail's investigation in detail".

Labour's shadow health secretary Andy Burnham also said his party would "conduct a thorough investigation" into the claims if it came into power.

Last year, the government rejected recommendations for a pay rise of 1% for NHS staff working in England.