Manpower Moves £10,000 pa NHS job for NFC deputy chairman
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DEPUTY chairman of the National Freight Consortium Victor Paige has been named by Social Services Secretary Norman Fowler as the first-ever managing director of the National Health Service.
The job will pay Mr Paige, who is also chairman of the Port of London Authority, £70,000 a year.
In his new role Mr Paige will head a management board, advise the Secretary of State on efficient ways of running the NHS and lead a team of more than 3,000 hospital managers.
Mr Fowler and Mr Paige worked closely together on the buyout from state ownership by management and employees of the National Freight Corporation in 1982 when Mr .Fowler was Transport Secretary.
The decision to appoint Mr Paige as NHS managing director was attacked by Shadow Social Services Secretary Michael Meacher, who said: "The man does not appear to have any knowledge of the National Health Service, or even to want to use it".
Criticism of his appointment and salary has also been levelled by Civil Service union leaders.