§ Mr. Coombsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will announce the appointment of regional health authority chairmen from 1 August.
§ Mr. FowlerThe terms of office of 11 of the 14 regional health authority chairmen expire on 31 July 1986. I am glad to say that all 11 of them have accepted my invitation to continue to serve in this most important position.
Regional health authorities, under the leadership of their chairmen, are playing a key role in carrying through the improvements in NHS management which are already leading to better services for patients and better value for money. I should like to place on record the Government's appreciation of the excellent work done by health authorities, their chairmen, and their staff to further these aims.
The 11 regional health authority chairmen are being reappointed for varying terms so as to phase the appointments in the future. The appointments are as follows:
Region and Chairman
Northern
- Professor B. E. Tomlinson, CBE MD FRCP FRC (PATH) until 31 July 1988
Yorkshire
93W
- B. Askew until 31 July 1988
Trent
- Sir Michael Carlisle, B.ENG FI Mech E MBIM until 31 July 1990
East Anglian
- Sir Arthur South, JP until 31 July 1987
South West Thames
- A. V. Driver, BSc until 31 July 1988
Wessex
- Professor Sir Bryan Thwaites, MA PhD FIMA FRSA until 31 July 1988
South Western
- W. V. S. Seccombe, JP until 31 July 1990
Oxford
- Sir Gordon Roberts, CBE JP until 31 July 1988
West Midlands
- J. G. Ackers until 31 July 1990
Mersey
- R. D. Wilson until 31 July 1990
North Western
- Sir John Page, OBE until 31 July 1987
The remaining three regional health authority chairmen are as follows:
North West Thames
- W. Doughty, MA (already appointed until 31 July 1987)
North East Thames
- D. Berriman, FIB CBIM MA (already appointed until 31 July 1988).
South East Thames
- Sir Peter Baldwin, KCB (already appointed until 31 July 1987).