The departing chief executive of the NHS trust that runs seven main hospitals across Sussex received more than £560,000 over the past year.
George Findlay was paid £330,000 by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust in addition to a pay, bonus and pension package totalling at least £235,000 for five months’ work.
Dr Findlay announced that he was leaving the trust just months after Sussex Police told patients that the force was considering the possibility of bringing corporate and individual manslaughter charges.
Police are investigating more than 200 cases of preventable death or injury at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, as part of Operation Bramber. Ninety deaths are being examined as potential cases of manslaughter.
The revelation that police were considering manslaughter charges emerged in February last year and Dr Findlay announced his departure as chief executive Wednesday 9 July.
According to the trust’s 2025-26 annual report and accounts, his last day was Sunday 31 August.
He was paid £105,000 to £110,000 in salary during the financial year, long-term performance pay or bonus of £15,000 to £20,000.
He also received pension contributions totalling £112,500 to £115,000. Overall, the report said that he received £235,000 to £240,000.
The report also said that Dr Findlay has since been paid £330,000 to £335,000 and added: “George Findlay remained working for the trust, undertaking work for both the trust and the wider NHS on processes for securing improvement.
“It should be noted that the payment above also includes his contractual notice period payment.”
Dr Findlay was on six months’ notice but left within two months of announcing his departure.
In 2024-25, Dr Findlay was paid a salary of £275,000 to £280,000 plus long-term performance pay or bonus of £30,000 to £35,000.
In addition, he received pension contributions totalling £180,000 to £182,500. The report said that his overall package for the year was worth £490,000 to £495,000.
He took charge of the trust’s executive team on Wednesday 1 June 2022, rejoining from a Kent hospital trust, having previously served as deputy chief executive and chief medical officer.
He moved to Sussex in February 2014, having been based in Cardiff for 17 years, with an additional role in London for almost 10 years.
Questions about payments to Dr Findlay after he stepped down as chief executive appeared on the HSJ (Health Service Journal) website today.
HSJ said: “Dr Findlay’s departure came before an external review commissioned by the trust reported claims of misogyny, ‘direct and authoritative’ leadership styles and a ‘paternalistic culture’.
“The hospital trust is also subject to an ongoing inquiry into maternity care led by Donna Ockenden and is grappling with a range of financial, performance and quality problems.”
HSJ said that the trust had said that Dr Findlay’s additional improvement work included “conducting research to prepare a report for the trust examining how the NHS approaches improvement programmes and projects, and how to successfully and sustainably make those improvements happen”.
The trust was also reported to have said: “Since it was completed (and also shared with partners), the trust is now using this research and insight to inform an internal review of how improvement work is conducted by the trust and the ongoing work to develop a new model for implementing change across our sites.”
The trust was also quoted as saying: “The payments relating to our former chief executive cover both 2025-26 and 2026-27, rather than a single financial year.
“They comprise a number of elements, including remuneration for his role as chief executive and accountable officer of one of the country’s largest NHS trusts, work undertaken for the trust to support the delivery of improvement programmes following his departure from that role and payments made in accordance with his contractual entitlements.
“All arrangements were considered through the trust’s established governance processes and the necessary approvals were obtained.”
The trust runs seven main hospitals including the Royal Sussex. The others are the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital and the Sussex Eye Hospital, both also in Brighton, as well as Southlands, in Shoreham, Worthing Hospital, St Richard’s, in Chichester, and the Princess Royal Hospital, in Haywards Heath.
