Written questions by Francois.

How many employees of NHS East of England are in salary bands above (a) £250,000, (b) £200,000, (c) £150,000 and (d) £100,000.

NHS England publishes the performance bonus information for its national directors in their annual accounts. No national directors were paid a bonus in 2023/24, and bonuses will not be paid for 2024/25. NHS England’s latest annual report and accounts has been published and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-england-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024The following table shows the latest published Executive Senior Manager (ESM) pay framework from 2021, which applies to the East of England region:Role gradePay bandsMinimumOperational maxMax exception zoneESM 1£90,900£113,625£131,300ESM 2£131,301£146,450£161,600ESM 3£161,601£176,750£191,900ESM 4£191,901£207,050£222,200 Although not all posts are currently filled, the number of permanent posts by grade in the region are as follows:14 for ESM 1;seven for ESM 2;one for ESM 3; andzero for ESM 4.NHS England’s regional communications functions are currently centrally employed. This resource is then provided to regions to support their work. There are eight posts, specifically seven staff and one vacancy, providing communications, media, and engagement support to the National Health Service in the East of England in meeting its statutory and constitutional responsibilities on engaging with the public and helping patients find the right services.

What estimate he has made of the operating deficit for the Mid and South Essex Hospitals NHS Trust for financial years (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26.

Trusts report their deficit position in their board reports, which are published on their websites. In 2023/24, the Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust reported an operating deficit of £29.7 million, resulting in the organisation being placed into the National Recovery Support Programme to receive support for improving its financial position. The 2024/25 financial plan for the foundation trust was a deficit of £84.6 million, for which the organisation has received deficit support funding from NHS England. Following receipt of this funding, the foundation trust is forecast to breakeven, although this requires the trust to deliver improved positions in the final months of the year, as there is a year-to-date deficit at month seven of £23.1 million, according to their latest board report. NHS England recently published 2025/6 Planning Guidance to support system financial planning for 2025/26. Finalised system financial plans for 2025/26 are currently being developed ahead of the start of the financial year, and so are not yet available.

How many full-time equivalent staff are employed by the NHS East of England headquarters.

The NHS England East of England regional whole time equivalent for this establishment is 637. This is the number of posts, rather than the number of staff currently employed. The data for the total number of full-time equivalent staff employed is unvalidated and is subject to change, so it is not routinely published.

What the salary band is for the Finance Director of the NHS East of England.

The salary bands for the Regional Director, Finance Director, Strategy Director, and Chief Operating Officer for NHS East of England are as follows:Executive Senior Manager (ESM) Grade 3 for the Regional Director;ESM Grade 2 for the Finance Director;ESM Grade 2 for the Strategy Director; andESM Grade 2 for the Chief Operating Officer.These bandings are the same across all of NHS England for these roles.

What information his Department holds on when the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust plans to publish it's 2024-25 Annual Report.

The Annual Report and Accounts of the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust for 2024/2025 will be published ahead of the trust’s Annual General Meeting, which is usually held at the end of September. Publication can only take place after the Annual Report and Accounts have been laid before Parliament, in line with NHS England guidance.

What the salary band is of the Regional Director of Strategy and Integration for the NHS East of England.

The salary bands for the Regional Director, Finance Director, Strategy Director, and Chief Operating Officer for NHS East of England are as follows:Executive Senior Manager (ESM) Grade 3 for the Regional Director;ESM Grade 2 for the Finance Director;ESM Grade 2 for the Strategy Director; andESM Grade 2 for the Chief Operating Officer.These bandings are the same across all of NHS England for these roles.

What the salary band is of the Chief Operating Officer of the NHS East of England.

The salary bands for the Regional Director, Finance Director, Strategy Director, and Chief Operating Officer for NHS East of England are as follows:Executive Senior Manager (ESM) Grade 3 for the Regional Director;ESM Grade 2 for the Finance Director;ESM Grade 2 for the Strategy Director; andESM Grade 2 for the Chief Operating Officer.These bandings are the same across all of NHS England for these roles.

What the salary band is for the Regional Director of the NHS East of England.

The salary bands for the Regional Director, Finance Director, Strategy Director, and Chief Operating Officer for NHS East of England are as follows:Executive Senior Manager (ESM) Grade 3 for the Regional Director;ESM Grade 2 for the Finance Director;ESM Grade 2 for the Strategy Director; andESM Grade 2 for the Chief Operating Officer.These bandings are the same across all of NHS England for these roles.

How many (a) communications and (b) media staff are employed by Mid & South Essex Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Department does not hold the information requested.

What the salary bands are for the (a) Chief Executive, (b) Chief Operating Officer, (c) Finance Director and (d) Medical Director at Mid & South Essex Hospitals NHS Trust.

Information on the renumeration of senior staff is published by hospital trusts as part of their annual report and accounts. This information for the Mid and South Essex Hospitals Trust is available at the following link:https://www.mse.nhs.uk/trust-publications-and-reports?smbfolder=150

What the salary bands are for the Managing Director of (a) Southend Hospital, (b) Basildon Hospital and (c) Broomfield hospital; and when the people in these roles were appointed.

The Department does not hold the information requested. Information on the renumeration and biographies of senior staff are published by hospital trusts as part of their annual report and accounts. This information for the Mid and South Essex Hospitals Trust, including biographies of senior staff, is available at the following link:https://www.mse.nhs.uk/trust-publications-and-reports?smbfolder=150

How many equality, diversity and inclusion managers are employed by the Mid and South Essex Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Department does not hold the information requested.

What role Price Waterhouse Coopers have been assigned in assisting with the financial management of the Mid & South Essex NHS Hospitals Trust; how long this task has been assigned for; what the cost to the public purse is; and what outputs they are required to deliver.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) received a direct award to undertake a nationally mandated Investigation and Intervention programme at the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board, to support it in delivering its financial plan.The programme lasted eight weeks, and the cost of phase one was £246,187, which the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust and the integrated care board incurred. The output was a report recommending actions the system should take to recover its in-year plan.The Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board decided to secure additional support from PwC for phase two from mid-July to the end of October 2024, which cost £1.07 million. This evolved into a programme of work supporting direct intervention within and across the foundation trust’s hospital sites.