The former chief executive of a debt-ridden health authority is to receive a pay-off of £359,000 for retiring early.

Peter Catchpole, 53, who resigned from West Sussex Health Authority in March, was behind the controversial decision to downgrade Crawley Hospital and transfer services to the East Surrey Hospital at Redhill.

Opponents of the move last night described the size of Mr Catchpole's pay-out as "obscene."

At the time of his resignation it was said he was leaving the £94,000-a-year post to pursue an academic career. Details of his severance pay have been revealed a week before his successor, Candy Morris, takes over on a similar salary.

Mr Catchpole will be paid a monthly salary until April 2001 as if he is on full-paid leave.

This amounts to £120,000 of the package, including the health authority's contribution to the pension fund for the year.

The rest of the package is made up of pension contributions based on his salary for retiring early.

The authority has a contractual obligation to make the payment.

News of the package has angered his critics and those campaigning against the downgrading of Crawley Hospital.

Chris Bird, who chairs the Crawley Hospital Campaign, said: "I think it is obscene that at a time when the National Health Service is having to cancel operations through lack of cash, that someone who has presided over cut backs and destroyed the morale of staff should get a £359,000 pay off.

"I know he has to get something for leaving, but the average NHS worker only gets a week's salary for each year's service. This is grossly above the average payout."

Since his appointment to the top West Sussex Health Authority job in 1995 Mr Catchpole was told by Labour and Conservative Health Secretaries to do something about huge debts the body had run up, at one time in excess of £6 million.

He had drawn up a four-year plan to get the authority into the black, one of which was to downgrade Crawley Hospital.