Bosses have remained tightlipped over a £100,000 payout made to the former head of Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital.

It comes as the Oxford Mail can reveal the current chief executive of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals (ORH) Trust earns £235,000 a year – £90,000 more than his predecessor.

Trevor Campbell Davis left his role as chief executive of the ORH Trust in July 2009.

At the time, a trust spokesman denied rumours Mr Campbell Davis had tendered his resignation after refusing to agree to proposed redundancies announced as part of a £44m savings package.

It was said he had left his position for “personal circumstances not appropriate to discuss publicly”.

Later, in a letter to staff, it was said Mr Campbell Davis, who was paid between £185,000 to £190,000 a year, had gone to pursue a new international healthcare role.

But, according to recently released financial statements for 2010/11, Mr Campbell Davis was handed a £100,000 payout in March as “compensation for loss of office”.

An HMRC spokesman said compensation for loss of office is paid when employment ceases, sometimes before the contract expires.

The trust refused to comment on why the payment was made.

But Dame Fiona Cauldicott, chairman of the trust, defended current chief executive Sir Jonathan Michael’s £235,000 a year salary. The average pay for a hospital chief executive is £158,800.

Sir Jonathan Michael joined the ORH as its new chief executive in April 2010.

She said: “There are clearly a number of factors that influence the salary offered for a particular role.

“The key ones are the prevailing market rate for a job of a similar size and complexity, and the skills and experience that are needed to successfully undertake the role.

“The salary paid to the chief executive during 2010/11 is within a comparable pay range to other large teaching hospitals and also to other senior roles across the public and private sector.

“Sir Jonathan has brought first class skills and experience to the trust and has already succeeded in implementing changes leading to quality and performance improvements.”

The ORH expects to cut eight per cent of its workforce during the next year.

Last week the Oxford Mail revealed Cath James, who was strategic director for environment at West Oxfordshire District Council, was paid £110,000 compensation for loss of office.

The council refused to reveal why Ms James left her job or what the payout was for.

Emma Boon, from the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “Taxpayers have a right to know how and why their money is being spent.

“It’s simply not good enough for hospital bosses to do the equivalent of handing a brown bag of cash to a departing chief exec with no explanation. It’s our money they are spending.

“There will be serious disappointment for taxpayers that the trust did not seek better value for his replacement, hiring a new chief exec at a massively inflated salary seems like very poor value at a time when savings need to be found.”