The departing chief executive of the hospital trust that runs the Royal Sussex County Hospital, in Brighton, received more than £560,000 over the past year.
George Findlay was paid £330,000 by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust in addition to a pay, bonus and pension package totalling at least £235,000 for five months’ work.
Dr Findlay announced that he was leaving the trust just months after Sussex Police told patients that the force was considering the possibility of bringing corporate and individual manslaughter charges.
Police are investigating more than 200 cases of preventable death or injury as part of Operation Bramber. Ninety deaths are being examined as potential cases of manslaughter.
The revelation that police were considering manslaughter charges emerged in February last year and Dr Findlay announced his departure as chief executive on Wednesday 9 July.
According to the trust’s 2025-26 annual report and accounts, his last day was Sunday 31 August.
He was paid £105,000 to £110,000 in salary during the financial year, long-term performance pay or bonus of £15,000 to £20,000.
He also received pension contributions totalling £112,500 to £115,000. Overall, the report said that he received £235,000 to £240,000.
The report also said that Dr Findlay has since been paid £330,000 to £335,000 and added: “George Findlay remained working for the trust, undertaking work for both the trust and the wider NHS on processes for securing improvement.
“It should be noted that the payment above also includes his contractual notice period payment.”
Dr Findlay was on six months’ notice but left within two months of announcing his departure.
In 2024-25, Dr Findlay was paid a salary of £275,000 to £280,000 plus long-term performance pay or bonus of £30,000 to £35,000.
In addition, he received pension contributions totalling £180,000 to £182,500. The report said that his overall package for the year was worth £490,000 to £495,000.
He took charge of the trust’s executive team on Wednesday 1 June 2022, rejoining from a Kent hospital trust, having previously served as deputy chief executive and chief medical officer.
He moved to Sussex in February 2014, having been based in Cardiff for 17 years, with an additional role in London for almost 10 years.
Questions about payments to Dr Findlay after he stepped down as chief executive appeared on the HSJ (Health Service Journal) website today.
HSJ said: “Dr Findlay’s departure came before an external review commissioned by the trust reported claims of misogyny, ‘direct and authoritative’ leadership styles and a ‘paternalistic culture’.
“The hospital trust is also subject to an ongoing inquiry into maternity care led by Donna Ockenden and is grappling with a range of financial, performance and quality problems.”
HSJ said that the trust had said that Dr Findlay’s additional improvement work included “conducting research to prepare a report for the trust examining how the NHS approaches improvement programmes and projects, and how to successfully and sustainably make those improvements happen”.
The trust was also reported to have said: “Since it was completed (and also shared with partners), the trust is now using this research and insight to inform an internal review of how improvement work is conducted by the trust and the ongoing work to develop a new model for implementing change across our sites.”
The trust was also quoted as saying: “The payments relating to our former chief executive cover both 2025-26 and 2026-27, rather than a single financial year.
“They comprise a number of elements, including remuneration for his role as chief executive and accountable officer of one of the country’s largest NHS trusts, work undertaken for the trust to support the delivery of improvement programmes following his departure from that role and payments made in accordance with his contractual entitlements.
“All arrangements were considered through the trust’s established governance processes and the necessary approvals were obtained.”
The trust runs seven main hospitals including the Royal Sussex. The others are the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital and the Sussex Eye Hospital, both also in Brighton, as well as Southlands, in Shoreham, Worthing Hospital, St Richard’s, in Chichester, and the Princess Royal Hospital, in Haywards Heath.
Legs it before it hits the fan! The same with police officers…
100%
This might be the person who, during a zoom meeting on local NHS matters in which I participated as a Member Of The Public, sneered at me when I said, “But have you actually BEEN to A&E recently?” Of course, I was told. Did not believe it for a second. I have enquired of the Trust why they rebuilt the massive, overblown Louisa Martindale frontage building before A&E, which I’ve attended a few times in the past few years, there’s literally no justification for de prioritising emergency accommodation in favour of a vast pompous entry building with food coffee and WHS concessions and a massive unnecessary reception area. I suspect that the greedy lunatics in charge of the Trust have one eye on a Golden Future when the NHS is handed over to private insurance companies and the Build was done with that in mind. You can’t monetise A&E so it’s down the priority list. The explanation I have had from them upon enquiring as to what the logic was behind the scheduling of the various Builds was in my view, specious. I was a medical journalist at one point for a while, the NHS is too big, Trusts are too big, there is too much managerial bullshit and grifting, morale is on the floor and the public also routinely abuses services and makes things worse. (People injured because of addiction, their own bad behaviour, “heartsink” patients, hypochondriacs, people who can’t get help with Mental Health issues so keep turning up with other ‘symptoms’ in desperation.) It’s a mess, and frankly, while worsened considerably by underfunding by a 14 year Tory government that was itching to get rid of it, it’s been bad for about forty years. Don’t argue btw, the previous health minister, creepy Hunt, wrote a BOOK on how to privatise the NHS.
I struggle and I’m sure other taxpayers do, to understand how incompetence appears to be rewarded and actually condoned in public services. There appears to be a cabal of serial offenders. There is no comeback and pensions are sacrosanct. It seems virtually impossible to actually sack or sanction someone for not doing their job properly. The people who appoint these holders also appear inviolate. Anyone can err when promoting someone but to then abdicate any responsibility or fail to rectify that mistake is incomprehensible. Am I alone in having civic duty, pride in my work, acceptance of help in difficult circumstances and the humility to accept my diminishing capabilities in my professional DNA?
He was not a good CEO would never remember a name of a nurse would never speak to minions on the shop floor actually keeping the trust running Paid far too much especially when the trust was failing under his command
What a joke whilst we are working our butts off for the crapiest wages and more work being piled onto us , working over our hours to keep the service running . A&E having to work in the most cramped conditions especially in this heat and the winter months where patients and staff are suffering every day , services not fit for purpose . A recruitment freeze , well this explains a lot .
Recruitment freeze for RSCH, not for Worthing. Now the trust HQ is in Worthing they are looking out for themselves while the bigger, busier County site is dying on its arse.
Dear colleagues,
This is a time for new directions: for the NHS and for University Hospitals Sussex.
Last week the government published its 10-year plan for the service. It sets out how it aims to achieve its three strategic shifts in how we care for the nation’s health: from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and treatment to prevention.
We’ll also soon be launching our new Trust strategy for 2025-30. This is a major, important piece of work for everyone at UHSussex and for everyone who uses our services.
It’s been developed with colleagues, patients and partners in the context of those three national shifts and will set out how we can realise our potential as one of the largest trusts in the country to provide consistently excellent care across all our hospitals.
Leading for the long-term
Given that this strategy is for the long term, it’s right that I consider my role in what will be five years of dynamic change and improvement.
I’ve worked in the Trust for more than 10 years and I’m very proud to have been its chief executive for the last three. However, leading such a large, diverse organisation is a hugely demanding job and I do not anticipate continuing to do so for a further five years.
I believe it’s in everyone’s best interests that the strategy’s delivery is led by someone who is committed to being here through to 2030, rather than have to change leadership part way through.
I’ve therefore told our chair, Philippa Slinger, that I propose to stand down as chief executive so she and the Trust Board can oversee the appointment of a successor for the long term.
Leading UHSussex – and more importantly the people who make it what it is – has been a genuine privilege for me so this is a difficult decision, but it is the right one. It’s also right that I step aside from decision making during the transition period so I will begin a practical handover of my duties…….
All for a small fortune 🤷🏻♂️
And the governemnt wondes why the NHS is failing. Look at it.
I’m shocked!!! Jobs for the boyz, nothing ever changes.
Off to ride the next gravy train, MBE and platinum pension awaits.
Meanwhile no receptionists in the glass white elephant, no screens that work for all department check ins and the elderly rot on trollies in a&e.
Well done Sir!
Stupidity and ignorance obviously pays, a lot. I’m sure he could have been given the boot at an earlier opportunity using previous poor standards as a kicking off point, or maybe too many “executives” not bothered as long as it doesn’t affect them, cut him off from public office before he milks it for more, does he actually have any real time qualifications and not just references from “mates” ???
Totally agree Lynn,I work at the trust ,never ever saw him on the shop floor,and never met him,nice big payout ,while the support staff if you want to do extra hours you have to sign up for a bank contract for the same hourly rate you get in the daytime,supposed to be time plus half for overtime .
They can give him this pay-off, but don’t have the money to fix the eye hospital roof!
Which is going to close by the way! Utterly disgusting.