SALARIES of the top bosses at the trust which runs Bethlem Royal Hospital in Beckenham have been revealed.

Stuart Bell, the chief executive of the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLAM), earns between £185,000 and £190,000 a year - almost double his pay when appointed in 1999.

Meanwhile trust chairman Madeliene Long receives between £55,000 and £60,000.

Her salary doubled in 2006/2007 from between £20,000 and £25,000 to her current pay.

This came after SLAM became a foundation trust in 2006, where the responsibility for setting salaries was passed from the NHS Appointments Commission to the trust's members' council.

The figures follow concerns over the management of Bethlem when four dangerous teenagers escaped from its secure mental health unit in February.

A week-long man hunt ensued and the unit in Monks Orchard Road was closed following the break out.

Its future remains uncertain while an independent review is carried out.

As reported in News Shopper last month, hospital bosses told councillors they did not know how the teens absconded.

Bromley Council's portfolio holder for public protection and safety Councillor Tim Stevens said confidence in the unit, which has had eight escapes since opening in 2004, was "very, very low".

The salaries were released following a request from Beckenham MP Bob Stewart in Parliament.

Mr Stewart said: "I asked questions in Parliament because of the disturbing events over the last few years at Bethlem Hospital.

"Following my investigation I am more than a little concerned that since 2006, when the board was given the power to set the salaries of the chair and chief executive, the chair’s salary has doubled and the chief executive now takes home a salary considerably higher than the Prime Minister of our country."

Councillor Nicholas Bennett, who represents the West Wickham ward Bethlem is located in, said: "It is interesting to note that Stuart Bell’s salary has increased by more than 100 per cent since he was appointed and Madeliene Long’s doubled in one year after the responsibility for setting salaries passed from the NHS Appointments Commission to the trust governors."

A spokesman for SLAM said: “The chair’s salary is decided by the trust’s members’ council, which includes patients, carers, staff and public representatives.

"The chief executive’s salary is decided by a committee of non-executive directors who are appointed by the members’ council.

“In both cases, the decision about salary is informed by what happens elsewhere within the NHS and amongst other NHS Foundation Trusts of similar size and scope.

“South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust provides the widest range of mental health services in the UK.

“The trust’s turnover has increased from £197m in 1999/2000 to £365m in 2011/2012.

“Guidance from the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts says that remuneration should be sufficient to attract, retain and motivate directors of the quality required to run the organisation successfully.

“South London and Maudsley became an NHS foundation trust in 2006. This means the organisation has greater freedom and places more direct responsibility upon the board of directors for how the organisation performs.”