THE number of bureaucrats hired by some Merseyside NHS bodies has risen by more than half in the last five years, according to new figures.

The statistics, obtained by the Liberal Democrats in a Parliamentary question, show that Liverpool PCT employed 155 managers in 2004, compared to 235 in 2009, and, at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen hospitals, the figure jumped from 119 to 217.

North West Ambulance Service has also seen a big increase, from 135 to 221.

The trusts say this is due to increased responsibilities, but Lib-Dem Parliamentary candidate for Wirral South Jamie Saddler believes it is a waste of cash.

He said: “The surge in the number of managers throughout the NHS in the North-West is crazy when front-line services are under such severe pressure.

“The NHS budget is likely to come under even more strain in the coming years as we continue to feel the effects of the recession.

“With less money coming in, the Government simply cannot afford to continue to waste it on more and more bureaucrats at the risk of cutting frontline services and damaging patient care.

“We need to ensure that money continues to be invested in front-line services and health professionals, not back-room offices and paper-pushers.”

Liz Mear, director of human resources and organisational development at the Royal, said the increase in the number of managers was a direct result of the trust taking over the Liverpool-wide Health Informatics Service.