A top nursing boss at Stafford Hospital who was believed to have left the trust for a new job has not gone after all and will continue to be paid her £100,000 salary.

Last week the hospital confirmed that Dr Helen Moss, who was in charge of nursing at the time when care at the hospital declined to “appalling” levels would be taking on a new role at a different NHS trust.

But it has now emerged that Dr Moss will continue to draw her salary and that she remains an employee of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Moss, who was on the board at Mid Staffs when a third of the clinical staff were axed to save £10 million, will be on a “placement” with NHS East Midlands.

This is the second time the trust has claimed that under-fire managers have left the trust when in fact they were still being paid.

In March the trust put out a press release announcing that former chief excecutive Martin Yeates had stood down from his role. In fact he was still employed on his £169,000 salary but was not fulfilling any of his duties.

He was later suspended on full pay during an investigation and then resigned before any disciplinary action could be taken against him.

It is thought he received a pension payout of more than £350,000.

Dr Moss will be responsible for training and organising the numbers of nurses needed at hospitals across Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

A spokeswoman for NHS East Midlands said: “Dr Moss will not be employed by NHS East Midlands and her salary, terms and conditions will remain the responsibility of her current employer.”

Mid Staffs trust chief executive Antony Sumara said today that the trust had reached agreement with all parties that Dr Moss’s salary would be paid.

Adverts are being posted for a permanent director of nursing.