About £1.8bn has been spent on NHS staff redundancy pay-offs since the Government’s restructuring of the health service, according to new figures.

More than 44,000 people have been laid off in the last five years with some 5,500 re-employed by the NHS in another job, Sky News reported.

Some were given severance payments in excess of £200,000.

The shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham, who is standing for Labour leader, told the broadcaster: “Today the figures hit a new high – £1.8bn wasted. And what are doctors to make of this?

“No wonder morale in the NHS is at rock bottom. This was a reorganisation that didn’t need to happen.

“They’ve thrown money at redundancies, given people pay-off cheques like confetti at the NHS at a time when we’re not doing right by the staff of the National Health Service.”

The Government insisted the restructuring had saved money and reduced bureaucracy.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “New figures this week actually showed that our changes saved far more than expected at £6.9bn and cost less than originally estimated.