NHS Trusts: Appointments (Hansard, 12 January 1998)

§ The Minister of State, Department of Health (Baroness Jay of Paddington)
My Lords, the noble Baroness asked several related questions and I must ask her and the House to forgive me if my reply is slightly longer than I would normally prefer. A total of 1,070 appointments were due to be made to National Health Service trusts by 30th November last year. Of those, 300 have still to be confirmed. The longest vacancies were for seven months. Clearly, that is more than we expected by this time. I have looked into the remaining vacancies. There are several different causes which I can detail if the noble Baroness wishes.
As the House knows, the Government are determined that membership of NHS boards should be more representative of the communities they serve. To help achieve that, every MP and local councillor was invited to nominate people to serve. I am glad to say that, as a result, of those appointed 17 chairmen and 140 non-executives declared that they took part in elections in the past five years. That will be particularly important in breaking down the barriers between health and other local social services.
In relation to regional chairmen, the chairmanship of the Northern and Yorkshire Region was vacant for four months. A careful recruitment process during that period led to the appointment of Mrs. Zahida Manzoor, an extremely able woman of Asian background with long experience in the health service. We are extremely confident that she and all the other people appointed to trust positions are the right people to develop our policy on the new NHS.

§ Baroness Gardner of Parkes
My Lords, I thank the Minister for her reply. Is she aware that the interviews and all necessary documentation to replace the non-executive directors of the Royal Free, of which I was chairman until 30th November, were completed by 10th October? At least six candidates were chosen as appointable out of the 63 who applied. I emphasise that the panel was fully independent with one member from 834 the Government Benches in this House serving as one of the three along with myself and an independent trust chairman. How is it therefore that those appointments still have not been made? Does the Minister think it fair that those extremely able people who were recommended for appointment should still be unappointed 13 weeks later? Also, does she think it fair that the four remaining non-executive directors should carry the heavy workload associated with a major trust hospital when they are already overworked in attempting to chair committees? It is unreasonable that the two places, which represent two out of six, should be left vacant for so long.

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, I am second to no one, certainly not the noble Baroness, in thanking and respecting those who take on the enormous burden of being members of NHS trust boards. The noble Baroness chaired a large trust board for a long period. As she will know from long experience in the health service, the recommendations that she and other members of her panel made locally would have gone to the regional chairman. They would then come to the Department of Health. Unfortunately, it is not a region where I am specifically involved and I cannot therefore give details of the background of the appointments. As the noble Baroness will be aware, they are in the hands of the regional chairman.

§ Lord Dean of Beswick
My Lords, is the Minister aware that I wish to congratulate the relevant Minister on appointing Professor Hamden, a former director of research at the Christie Cancer Hospital, as chairman of the South Manchester Health Trust, and for appointing Mr. Egerton, who lives in the area and who is a former councillor with distinguished local service, as chairman of the North Manchester Health Trust? We are extremely pleased with those two appointments.

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for those comments. As the House knows, the Government paid special attention in those cases to appointing people with local experience and a demonstrated commitment to the National Health Service.

§ Baroness Hamwee
My Lords, is it the case that those appointments were referred either in whole or in part to 10 Downing Street? If so, does the Minister agree that that is a degree of centralisation which has had an unhappy effect in leading to some boards acting illegally or, at any rate, in an inquorate manner?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, I have no knowledge of any appointments being referred to 10 Downing Street. As I said in reply to the noble Baroness, Lady Gardner, we divided ministerial responsibilities for the appointments by region. That is why I could not give a specific answer in relation to North Thames. As far as I am aware, no ministerial 835 appointments have been recommended in that way. I can also state categorically that no boards have been inquorate.

Earl Howe
My Lords, I am led to understand that one vacancy on an NHS trust has not yet been filled. I refer to the vacancy created on the appointment of the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, to the Government in May. Is that correct?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, that is one of the appointments which is outstanding.

§ Baroness Gardner of Parkes
My Lords, the noble Baroness says that these matters are with the regional chairmen. Will she accept from me that the regional authority stated that it had passed everything on to the department in October while I was still in office and that it did not consider any delay was caused by the region?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, I can only repeat what I said. Not having detailed knowledge of the individual appointments to the North Thames region, I can only express what I said originally. The process goes through the regions and then on to the Department of Health.