Rejected PCT leaders told to apply for less senior jobs

Primary care trust chief executives not selected for jobs running their successor organisations are being denied redundancy and told to apply for less senior positions, according to union Managers in Partnership.

The claim emerged as an HSJ analysis showed that of 56 jobs running new PCTs, just 28 have gone to existing PCT leaders under the first stage of 'restricted' recruitment.

MiP chief executive Jon Restell said chief executives who were rejected in the current round of recruitment must now be offered redundancy rather than being demoted to director level, given a 'non-job', or being told to work on a 'fantasy project'.

One strategic health authority is understood to have told unsuccessful PCT chief executives now wishing to take redundancy that they would only be eligible if they failed to secure board-level posts.

Of the nine strategic healt authorities with reconfigured PCTs, eight have provided details of 28 jobs filled from 56 vacancies, while South West SHA has remained tight-lipped about recruitment. An expected total of about 64 positions covering 70 new PCTs reflects a number of joint management arrangements.

So far just 17 per cent of the 161 existing PCT chief executives who were eligible to apply for jobs running the new organisations have been successful.

A month ago, estimates suggested that 45-50 of the posts would be likely to be filled by former PCT chief executives. Some rejected applicants are now competing in national unrestricted competition to fill the remaining posts.

Mr Restell expressed concern about the fate of PCT chief executives left jobless: 'Unsuccessful chief executives should be enabled to leave with dignity if they wish, and as soon as possible, ' he said.

He said the NHS needs to accept formally that 'there is no suitable alternative employment for chief executives in new PCT structures and that redundancy costs are unavoidable'.

The union is due to hold a meeting today for members from PCTs, as well as SHAs and ambulance trusts, to discuss 'serious concerns', about the appointment process, and the fitness for purpose assessments.

Mr Restell said MiP had already raised concerns at SHA and Department of Health level over aspects of the appointments process that had 'damaged confidence' among senior PCT managers.