A £76,000 pay-out to a shamed hospital boss has forced a Government crackdown on big severance payments.

Health Secretary Alan Milburn took the action after the pay-off to Eastbourne District General Hospital chief executive Clive Uren.

He stepped down last month following a damning report into levels of care at the hospital.

Mr Uren, who earned £90,000 a year, and the

hospitals trust's chairman, John Barkshire, resigned after the probe which severely criticised management style and nursing levels.

The pay-out, revealed by the Argus, was the minimum amount he could be paid according to his contract.

Now senior NHS bosses have written to hospitals ordering them to look again at their contracts to ensure the situation never happens again.

Health minister Gisela Stuart revealed the action had been taken during an answer to a question by Lewes MP Norman Baker.

Mr Baker asked the Commons: "Does she understand how angry my constituents in Seaford, Polegate and elsewhere are that such a person, who should be seen to have failed so abysmally and brought so much distress on the hospital, should be rewarded with such a

pay-off?

Ms Stuart said: "Failure should never be rewarded. As a result of incidents in that hospital, the regional director Barbara Stocking has written to all the NHS trust boards and required them to examine contracts of employment to ensure the situation described does not occur again."

The investigation was launched after the controversial deaths of two patients on understaffed wards.

Mr Uren was accused of not listening to staff and ignoring major problems over staffing levels.

The NHS Executive report also said the hospital's nursing shortage needed to be addressed, with more full-time qualified staff recruited and fewer agency nurses..

Money for ten extra nurses has been made

available but earlier this month the hospital was forced to close a 30-bed ward.

Eastbourne MP Nigel Waterson has called for more emergency action to alleviate the crisis.

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