THE embarrassing pay blunder for five doctors in Winchester will be discussed by health chiefs today.

The Daily Echo yesterday reported how five consultants had been overpaid by a whopping £290,000 because of a human error in the payroll department.

The doctors, who work at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, were given discretionary and distinction payments to which they were not entitled dating back several years.

Health unions are upset at the blunder as jobs are under threat amid a £13 million savings plan at the Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust.

Trust managers are trying to claw back the overpayment from the five medics, who have not been named.

A report to be discussed by the trust board said the consultants had initially been prepared to only repay half of the overpayment with unpaid sessions on top.

Trust chief executive Rod Halls proposed an 85 per cent repayment in cash with the unpaid sessions on top.

Senior managers are negotiating with the British Medical Association, representing the five doctors. The mistake was only spotted by auditors in the spring. Checks have been made and the mistake is confined to the five consultants. An independent review has made recommendations to ensure the mistake is not repeated.

Lynda Banister, a non-executive director of the trust, said it was the responsibility of employees to tell the trust if overpayment had occurred.

In a report to the board meeting, she said the trust as a public body had a responsibility to recover as much of the money as possible.

A trust spokesman said; "We regret what happened and are continuing to do everything we can to get the whole repayment."

The trust board meeting will be held this afternoon at the RHCH.