The chief executive of Nuffield Health was paid more than £2m in his first full year in post as the charity saw its income rise by 2% to £1.48bn, its accounts show.
Alex Perry took over as CEO in October 2024 from Steve Gray, who earned £1.4m in his final year leading the largest charity in the country by income.
Perry’s remuneration in 2025 included “one-off arrangements linked to his appointment, and performance-related payments”, a spokesperson for the charity said.
“His pay, like all executive pay, is governed by the board of trustees using independent benchmarks and advice,” they added.
Chief financial officer Paul Baker hailed a “strong financial performance” in the accounts, in which the charity’s income rise was “driven by solid growth across both hospital and fitness operations”.
Meanwhile, Nuffield Health’s expenditure rose to £1.54bn in 2025, meaning it recorded a net deficit of £58.8m.
However, its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation increased to a record £123m.
In its accounts, Nuffield Health highlighted £166m created in social value last year – delivered via free programmes – an increase from £126m in 2024.
Perry said that the charity plans to expand its health improvement programmes “significantly” over the coming years after growing its income.
“Looking ahead, we aim to deliver £2bn in cumulative social value by 2030 from our free-to-use programmes,” he said.
‘Difficult decisions’
The charity’s overall staff-related costs rose by £4.4m to £566m in 2025 due to increases in social security and pension contributions.
Wages and salaries fell by £5m to £470m, its accounts show, while agency costs decreased by £5.9m to £10.7m.
The average number of employees dropped by 4% to 18,566 in 2025 while the charity paid £3.8m in redundancy and termination costs (down from £6.1m in 2024).
Writing in the accounts, chair Natalie-Jane Macdonald said: “Inevitably, raising ambition and improving both focus and pace entailed some difficult decisions during the year.
“It was necessary to take a detailed look at the structure of the organisation, and the efficiency and effectiveness of all areas.
“As a result, we withdrew our emotional wellbeing service, and sold the lease of Nuffield Health at St Bartholomew’s Hospital back to Barts Health NHS Trust.
“These decisions were hard but necessary for the long-term success of the charity.”
Macdonald added that financial sustainability remains a priority amid a time of volatility, uncertainty and operational changes at the charity.
She also said Nuffield would look to embrace AI technology and invest in equipment and better infrastructure.
