Health chiefs have warned that Oxford hospitals which attract workers by boosting their NHS pay could cause staff shortages in neighbouring counties.

Thames Valley Health Authority, which oversees the NHS in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, is concerned radiographers in the city are being paid premium rates.

Radiographers at the Churchill Hospital, in Headington, treating cancer patients with radiotherapy, get 17.5 per cent more than the basic pay -- increasing a £17,715 starting salary to £23,418. Radiographers at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and the John Radcliffe Hospital, who operate X-ray and scanning machines, get 10 and 15 per cent more respectively.

TVHA managers are worried the move will worsen recruitment problems in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire hospitals, which are also suffering because of a national shortage of radio- graphers.

A report to board members said: "A Thames Valley approach to recruitment in these areas is required as at least one trust in Oxfordshire is paying premium rates over and above national rates of pay.

"While such an approach may be successful in the short term in the local area, it may exacerbate recruitment problems in neighbouring counties."

Staff at Oxford's hospitals, which have struggled to find new recruits, have rejected the claims.