Jackie Baillie has hit out as NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde is spending at least £667k of public money on spin doctors – while healthcare staff are struggling to cope with demand.

Across 13 staff and one recently advertised post, the wage bill in the corporate communications department at the health board, is a minimum of £667,406.

It was recently revealed that NHSGGC also paid £15,000 a year to US firm Meltwate, for investigation software used to spy on bereaved families.

The total bill for NHS spin across Scotland has been revealed as being at least £8.5million, after figures were released to Scottish Labour under Freedom of Information legislation. This eye-watering figure is for communications staff across all 14 territorial and 8 special health boards as well as the Scottish Government team covering health and social care.

These figures for communications staff are also likely to be an underestimate as they are based on the lowest points within pay bands and do not take account of staff who are at higher levels within their pay bandings.

Since this time last year, the wage bill in Greater Glasgow and Clyde has increased by about 25 percent from £538,309 to £667,406. In comparison, the average wage rise for individual NHS staff, including nurses, midwives, paramedics, allied health professionals, porters and others over the last year was 6.5 percent.

Scottish Labour’s health and social care spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: “It is deeply worrying to see this level of money being spent on communications within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde while the NHS is in crisis.

“That such an eye-watering bill is being paid out of the public purse while the health board runs a spying operation on critics, whistle-blowers and victims of the scandal at the QEUH is horrifying.

“The problems at the Queen Elizabeth have been well documented and it is clear from the volume of social media posts focused on the flagship hospital that a sizeable chunk of this cash is being used to counter the negative publicity and launder the reputation of the health board.

“The hard-working healthcare staff have gone above and beyond but they have been let down by decisions taken at management level. This scale of cash being spent on spin is the latest kick in the teeth to the workforce as the money would be far better spent on more frontline healthcare staff.

“It is important that people who stay within the health board area know what is going on and are being given information but the sheer amount of money being spent on spin doctors is wrong.”