SENIOR NHS doctors received more than £43 million in bonuses last year, averaging just over £15,000 per head, according to figures released under freedom of information legislation.

Consultants and other senior medics receive additional cash in the form of distinction awards and discretionary points.

The statistics published yesterday show £43,038,750 was paid to 2,858 recipients in 2016/17, up on the £37,351,060 paid to 2,572 staff the previous year.

The Tories, who obtained the figures, said the scale of the payments should be questioned at a time when NHS budgets are under pressure.

Miles Briggs, the party’s health spokesman, said: “There’s nothing wrong with hardworking medical professionals being incentivised and rewarded for their work.

“And of course there’s an acceptance that the NHS has to pay competitively if it wants the best staff.

“But senior medics like consultants are already very well remunerated, and many – including NHS workers further down the chain – will question the sheer scale of these payments.

“The NHS is extremely hard up for cash, and these are payments worth tens of millions of pounds.”

Consultants can expect to earn a basic salary of £78,304 to £105,570, depending on their length of service. Many already supplement their NHS salaries by doing work in the private sector.

The controversy over bonuses comes seven years after Nicola Sturgeon pledged as Health Secretary to bring consultants’ bonuses under control.

The figures published yesterday revealed that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde paid out the most in consultant bonuses, handing senior medics more than £10 million last year.

Other big spenders included Lothian (£6m), Tayside (£3.6m), Grampian (£3.5m) and Lanarkshire (£3.1m).

The Scottish Government confirmed earlier this year that, in line with the consultant contract, discretionary points would be paid for work done in 2016/17.

Distinction awards continue to be frozen, with no increase in their value, no new awards and no progression through the award scheme during 2017/18.

The British Medical Association, which represents doctors, said this represented the sixth year of the freeze on these awards, and expressed concerns that it was having a “serious adverse effect” on recruitment to senior posts.

Health Secretary Shona Robison, said: “This government values the enormous contribution NHS Scotland staff make to the health service.

“Over 98 per cent of NHS employees earning in excess of £100,000 are clinicians or consultants.

“It is right that we pay the going rate, which is reviewed annually by the independent pay review bodies, in order to attract and retain highly skilled and much sought- after staff.”

Earlier this year the Scottish Government rejected the Doctors’ and Dentists’ Pay Review Body’s recommendation to increase the value of distinction awards and discretionary points for senior consultants or to lift the freeze on new distinction awards.

A spokeswoman said the starting salary for a consultant depended on the individual health board, though the consultant’s basic salary range maximum is £105,570.

Top earners may include medical directors who receive, in addition to their consultant salary, a management fee of up to £38,291 and who may also hold a distinction award of up to £75,889.

Pay, allowances and fees are uplifted in line with the recommendations of independent pay review bodies.

Responding to the freedom of information request, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said that to warrant a discretionary bonus, consultants were expected to demonstrate an above-average contribution in respect of one or more of service to patients, teaching or research, or the management and development of the service.

The board advised: “Progression at each step up the discretionary points scale will reflect the continuing quality and range of the contribution made by the consultant.”