THE former boss of scandal-hit Basildon Hospital was given a £72,000 payoff, the Echo can reveal today.

Alan Whittle, 57, ran the trust as chief executive through some of its worst moments and resisted repeated calls to resign.

When he finally left, in September last year, he received the payoff as “compensation for loss of office”.

The figure came on top of his full £150,000 salary, which he received between April and September 2012.

Mr Whittle also left the trust with a pension pot worth £1.7million, the Echo can reveal.

Hospital bosses claimed they did not know why he had received the severance pay, as it was approved by the then hospital chairman, Sir Peter Dickson.

The figures were revealed in the hospital’s annual report.

Such payments are usually made to people made redundant or asked to resign. However, the hospital has maintained Mr Whittle, who was a local authority accountant before working his way up at the hospital, resigned himself.

A hospital spokeswoman said: “This was a decision of the previous chairman so you would need to ask him why it was approved.

“We haveanew board that was not party to this decision, but we understand Mr Whittle resigned.”

Mr Whittle announced he was leaving in January 2012, but waited until September when current boss Clare Panniker took over.

Her arrival signalled several changes on the board of directors.

Mr Whittle presided over a series of scandals from 2003 onwards, including deaths from Legionnaire’s disease, shocking hygiene, numerous failings in medical care, and the highest death rates in the country in 2009, when watchdog Monitor and the Care Quality Commission stepped in.

The Echo tried to contact Mr Whittle at his home in Sachfield Drive, Chafford Hundred, but there was no answer.