HC Deb 22 February 1960 vol 618 cc27-8
41. Sir G. Nicholson

asked the Minister of Health, in view of the importance of establishing a proper career structure for administrative staff in the hospital service, what decisions he has now come to on the recommendations of the Select Committee on Estimates of 1956–57, and of Sir Noel Hall, regarding the methods of appointing the senior administrative staff of hospital management committees.

Mr. Walker-Smith

I have asked hospital authorities to put into effect revised arrangements for filling senior administrative posts which are designed to meet the views expressed by Sir Noel Hall and are in line also with those expressed by the Select Committee. These arrangements include the setting up of advisory staff committees in each region to prepare personnel registers and to advise staff and employers on career and promotion matters, and the attendance at appointments committees of assessors from other authorities. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of the relevant memorandum.

Sir G. Nicholson

Is my right hon. and learned Friend aware that the position is not wholly satisfactory? This has been a matter of discussion for some years and there is a general feeling that the arrangements which he now proposes will not sufficiently bring to bear the influence of the regional hospital boards. Surely my right hon. and learned Friend will agree that none of these schemes is really very much use unless the influence of the regional hospital boards is considerable.

Mr. Walker-Smith

We sought, I think properly, to bring the teaching hospitals within the regions into it as well and we sought to meet the perhaps natural feeling of hospital management committees that they did not want their appointments to be completely dictated by the regional boards. I think that we have struck the right balance. In answer to the first part of my hon. Friend's supplementary question, I rather thought that when the Select Committee on Estimates took further evidence about this it was fairly well satisfied with the proposals which I am now making.

Sir G. Nicholson

Surely my right hon. and learned Friend is not claiming that the new arrangements are the same as those which met with the approval of the Select Committee on Estimates?

Mr. Walker-Smith

I am not claiming that they are the same as those which were originally proposed by the Select Committee on Estimates. What I said was that I understood that at its subsequent meeting the Select Committee on Estimates seemed generally satisfied with the proposals which were then outlined to the Select Committee.

Sir G. Nicholson

They are not the same.

Mr. K. Robinson

On the question of assessors, is the Minister aware that, far from striking the right balance, his proposals are an emasculated and watered-down version of the Select Committee's proposals which will be utterly useless in practice and will go no way to achieving the objectives which the Select Committee had in mind?

Mr. Walker-Smith

This was not supposed to be merely a translation into action of the specific proposals of the Select Committee on Estimates. In addition to the Select Committee's considerations, I had the advantage of the report of Sir Noel Hall. These proposals derive from both those sources. While obviously they do not comply in specific detail with the original proposals of the Select Committee, I think that they meet the general point which the Committee had in mind.