Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the process used to appoint Dr Anthony Marsh to the post of Chief Executive for (a) West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust and (b) East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust; if he will place in the Library copies of all correspondence between his Department and both ambulance trusts on these appointments; what level of salary Dr Anthony Marsh receives for each role; and if he will make a statement.

Anthony Marsh was appointed Chief Executive of West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (WMAS) in July 2006. Dr Marsh was previously Chief Executive of Essex Ambulance Service.

Dr Marsh became Chief Executive of East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) from 1 January 2014. He was seconded to EEAST at the request of the NHS Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA) because of persistent poor performance at EEAST and the Trust’s failure to appoint a substantive Chief Executive when it attempted to recruit to the post on several occasions in recent years. He is contracted to work three days a week at EEAST in addition to continuing in his chief executive role at WMAS.

The NHS TDA advises that Dr Marsh’s salary is £232,226.42 per annum in total, which includes a £50,000 uplift to his former WMAS salary for his additional duties at EEAST. EEAST pays 60% of Dr Marsh’s salary. The £50,000 additional salary payment was agreed between the remuneration committees of WMAS and EEAST for the increased responsibility of running two trusts.

The NHS TDA believes that Dr Marsh has already made a significant impact at EEAST, with the recruitment of 400 additional paramedics expected this year, 147 new ambulances now ordered and a £1 million reduction in management costs, which is being re-invested into the front line.

A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has not identified any correspondence between the Department and either ambulance trust on these appointments. This search represents correspondence received by the Department’s Ministerial correspondence unit only.