There should be “real restraint” on the amount of money NHS bosses earn, the health secretary has said.

Jeremy Hunt said executive salaries should be curbed so that “every penny possible” can be spent on patients.

His comments come after a Department of Health document suggested that further pay rises for NHS bosses could put patient care at risk.

The document, submitted to a pay review body last week, stated: “Any increase in pay costs above this level will risk unfeasible reductions in clinical staff which may harm the ability to maintain access to and quality of NHS services to the public.”

Mr Hunt has indicated he will block any pay rises for senior officials at health quangos such as NHS England, reports suggest.

“In this tough financial climate, I am determined to see real restraint on executive pay so that every penny possible can go on patient care,” Mr Hunt told the Daily Telegraph.

“Sadly, the last government got their priorities completely wrong on NHS pay - giving managers far bigger rises than nurses.”

NHS England medical director Sir Bruce Keogh told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s quite clear that we need a debate about it but I would like to be quite clear about a couple of things. Hospital chief executives are running organisations, many of which are hundreds of millions of pounds enterprises.

“Secondly, I have never achieved anything as a doctor in my career without working hand in hand with a really good manager.

“I think it is important that we focus on ensuring we have the right managers of the right calibre. Some of these managers will deserve very significant salaries.”

Shadow health minister Jamie Reed said: “Under David Cameron, many NHS managers have seen their salaries soar. Meanwhile, nurses have had theirs frozen and 6,000 nursing jobs have been axed.

“Ministers have placed the NHS on the brink of its worst winter in a decade and posturing like this does nothing to help.”

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