A TROUBLED health board ended the last financial year £38.7 million in the red and waiting times failed to improve - despite spending £370,000 on a recovery director dubbed “Marbella Man” for nine months.

The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board annual accounts show the NHS troubleshooter’s contract cost £353,450 and his expenses amounted to £16,888.

Interim recovery director Phillip Burns had his contract terminated two months early because of the Covid pandemic.

He’d been allowed to work a day of his working week from Spain.

The interim chief executive of the health board, Simon Dean, has insisted progress was made in relation to all issues that led to it being placed in special measures by the Welsh Government.

But there have been a greater number of emergency demands.

The accounts also show £29,592 was paid up to the end of March after chief executive Gary Doherty had stepped down on February 9 and was seconded to the NHS in England.

His secondment ends this year.

The board, in special measures for a record five years and which covers the 670,000 population of North Wales, said 590 managers, clinical and agency staff received remuneration packages of more than £100,000, one director getting nearly £250,000 in pay and pension benefits.

Mr Dean praised staff for their “enthusiasm, dedication and innovation” to meeting the Covid challenge.