The number of managers in the NHS in England rose by nearly 12% last year, to almost 45,000.
During the same period, the number of qualified nurses increased by less than 2%.
The NHS in England now employs just over 1.43 million people - an increase of 4.6% on the previous year.
After a period of record growth, the Department of Health plans to make cuts of £4.35bn a year. It added managers were still a fraction of the workforce.
NHS chief executive Sir David Nicholson said the NHS had enjoyed record investment over the last decade.
But he said the NHS was entering a period of less growth, with the service “focused on improving quality and productivity to release efficiency savings that can be re-invested back into the service”.
A Department of Health spokesperson said that although there had been a large percentage rise in the number of managers, overall they made up just 3.5% of the NHS workforce.
The NHS will reduce management costs by 30% by 2013/14, the spokesperson added.
Read more at BBC Health.
Tags: Managers
