AN MP has slammed NHS bosses and written to the Health Secretary after the Echo revealed a senior employee received a £200,000 redundancy pay out before rejoining the service months later.

Ian Stidston was formerly accountable officer - effectively the chief executive - of the NHS’s Southend Clinical Commissioning Group until he lost his job in April 2018.

After his redundancy, he joined Thurrock Clinical Commissioning Group, where he is currently interim director of commissioning.

And the two commissioning groups are set to merge under plans for a new Mid and South Essex Clinical Commissioning Group, prompting confusion over why he was given the huge payment before later re-joining the NHS.

Now Mark Francois, MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, has written to Gareth Davies, Comptroller and Auditor General, requesting the National Audit Office investigate the payment and the proposed merger of commissioning groups.

He is also writing to Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, asking him to launch an internal NHS enquiry, as well as requesting an urgent debate in the House of Commons.

Mr Francois said: “Down the years I have become increasingly frustrated at the constant ‘revolving door’ of senior NHS appointments, with senior NHS bureaucrats turning over at a rapid rate, between extremely high-paid jobs.

“There is undoubtedly a ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ culture within the upper echelons of the NHS, which allows this practice to go on, often unchallenged.

“This instance is especially galling, as I have recently had at least one couple in my constituency surgery in tears, because the Basildon and Brentwood clinical commissioning group refused to fund even a single cycle of IVF, because they claim they cannot afford it.

“However, this pay off, would have funded at least 20 IVF cycles and probably more than that.

“Earlier this month, I wrote privately to the chairmen of the five CCG’s in mid and south Essex, warning them that if this merger is to come about, it must represent value for money for the taxpayer.

“None of them have given me a substantive reply.

“I don’t care whether, legally, this man is entitled to this fifth of a million pounds or not.

“Morally, he certainly isn’t and if he had a shred if honour, he should pay the money back forthwith.”

A spokesman for the Southend commissioning group insisted the payment was in line with national protocols, and the creation of a joint management to streamliner commissioning has reduced running costs.

The spokesman added the process resulted in the need to make changes to roles and responsibilities of existing staff, and put temporary staffing arrangements in place so legal duties were met.

This also resulted in redundancies.

Thurrock clinical commissioning group insisted both groups are entirely separate until the merger is completed in spring 2021.