Top NHS boss Sir Andrew Morris sparks sexism row

Top NHS boss Sir Andrew Morris sparks sexism row

Sir Andrew Morris, chief executive of Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, was labelled a 'dinosaur' for his controversial comment

An NHS boss has sparked outrage after saying men die younger because 'they are nagged to death' by their wives.

Sir Andrew Morris, chief executive of Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, was labelled a 'dinosaur' for his controversial comment. 

The remark was made just days after experts said life expectancy improvements are grinding to a halt because of the ailing NHS.

They noted how boys born today can now expect to live for 79.2 years, where as girls will be expected to reach 82.9. 

He told a think-tank meeting: 'Usually the blokes die off earlier because they’re nagged to death by the other half.'

In attendance for th e 'shocking' comment were Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England.

Overall, more than 150 leading experts in their field attended The King's Fund briefing to discuss money-saving plans. 

'Patronising' comments 

Delegates described the comment made by Sir Morris, who reportedly earns £220,000 a year - as 'patronising'. 

Sir Morris, knighted in 2015, has previously been named the country's top health chief executive for his leadership qualities, The Sun reports. 

He is also one of the longest-serving bosses in the health service, taking up the head role at the trust in 1989.

Jon Rouse, from the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, said on Twitter that 'dinosaurs still roam in East Berkshire'

'GRINDING TO A HALT'

Life expectancy improvements are ‘grinding to a halt’ because of our ailing NHS and social care system, experts warned earlier this week.

The middle classes are predicted to be hardest hit by the phenomenon as they struggle to afford rising care bills in old age.

A team of academics from University College London found that since 2010, historical increases in life expectancy have dramatically stalled. 

According to Office for National Statistics predictions analysed by UCL, a girl born between 2013 and 2015 can expect to live for 82.9 years. 

A boy born in the same period will live for an average of 79.2 years. 

These estimates are based on a complicated series of calculations which take into account current death rates among the elderly and overall standards of living. 

The 61-year-old apologised to the newspaper. He said: 'I made a comment that I realised right away was completely inappropriate. I would like to apologise unreservedly for any offence that it caused.'

'Dinosaurs still roam in East Berkshire' 

But Jon Rouse, from the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, said on Twitte r that 'dinosaurs still roam in East Berkshire'. 

Lizzy Dobres, from the UK Council for Psychotherapy, said the comment showed there was still 'such a long way to go'.

She added: 'Shocked to hear Andrew Morris say men die younger cause "women nag them".'

A 'rubbish' apology 

Others branded the apology as meaningless. Andrew McCracken, from National Voices, said it was 'rubbish'.

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust serves 900,000 patients across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and south Buckinghamshire.  

The news comes after a Daily Telegraph investigation in 2016 found that Sir Morris was one of a handful of top NHS bosses who had been handed generous pay rises.

He was given an extra £35,0 00 on top of his salary at the time - despite the Government promising to freeze their pay.

Campaigners were outraged as nurses have repeatedly been told that there isn't enough money to boost their pay. 

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