FORMER Burnley health trust boss, Maggie Aikman, received a £245,000 pay off because she was told to quit, says Pendle MP, Gordon Prentice.

Had she volunteered her resignation, she would have got nothing, he adds.

Mr Prentice called for further information after hearing the £68,000-a-year chief executive who left in the wake of the furore surrounding her sacking of consultant, Ian Mahady, has landed a new £48,000-a-year post with Gwent Health Authority. Now, after talks with health trust chairman, Brian Foster, Mr Prentice, has made a plea to health ministers.

He wants them to introduce a new code of guidance to prevent a repeat of the Burnley situation elsewhere.

"Effectively Mrs Aikman's contract had to be paid up because her resignation was requested.

"There are other areas of the country where we have seen other colossal pay-offs to people who have re-emerged in another NHS job after a short interval."

He added: "It is wrong and happily Burnley, at least, has put in systems which will ensure there can be no repeat in this area.

He said: "Burnley now has a new policy of not recruiting senior people on fixed term contracts which can give rise to these telephone number pay-offs.

"This policy should be standard across the NHS.

"If someone is useless at the job, they can be dismissed for incompetence.

"No-one should be able to walk out of a job after making a mess of it and laugh all the way to the bank," added Mr Prentice.

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