A mental health trust paid two temporary ‘off-payroll’ chiefs six-figure sums, despite being in their positions for less than a year.

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) exceeded guidelines set out by health watchdogs to award generous salaries to interim HR directors Paul Jones and Jacolyn Fergusson.

Mr Jones was awarded £105,000 for his work for three months from mid-April 2015 to the end of July.

Ms Fergusson's costs were £210,000 from August until November 2015. Combined, the figure – £315,000, in excess of £6,000 a week – is more than three times the £85,000 salary awarded to the previous HR director.

Christina Shaw, trust spokesman, said the appointments were made due to a lack of suitable internal candidates.

She said: “KMPT appointed an interim director to undertake a full review of the structure of the provision of HR services across the trust. For the calibre expected, there is a highly competitive interim market.

“Unfortunately the initial appointment left the trust at short notice for personal reasons delaying the continuity of this work and a further appointment was made to develop and implement the necessary plans.”

There are guidelines set out by the Trust Development Authority (now NHS Improvement) governing pay for interim positions.

These should not remain off-payroll for more than six months. KMPT said it approached the TDA for permission before making the appointments.

After leaving, Mr Jones moved to become King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust’s interim executive director of workforce development while Ms Fergusson became interim director of people and organisation health at North Bristol Trust.

Harry Davis, campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “We are repeatedly assured that these sky-high remuneration packages are justified on the grounds that they attract the right people to the job but it is difficult not to baulk at the amount of money spent on these temporary appointments.

“More must be done to shine a light on these off-book payments so that taxpayers can make sure that their cash is going towards frontline services rather than on the pay packages of public sector bosses.”