HC Deb 22 May 1989 vol 153 cc418-9W
Mr. Anthony Coombs

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he is yet in a position to announce the composition of the NHS policy board and the NHS management executive proposed on the White Paper, "Working for Patients."

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

I am announcing today that the members of the board, which I shall chair, will be:

  • Sir Roy Griffiths (Deputy Chairman).
  • The Minister of State for Health.
  • The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health.
  • Sir Donald Acheson Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health.
  • Sir James Ackers, Chairman of West Midlands Health Regional Authority.
  • Professor Cyril Chantler, Professor of Paediatric Nephrology at Guys Hospital.
  • Mrs. Julia Cumberlege, CBE, Chairman of South West Thames Regional Health Authority.
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  • Sir Graham Day, Chairman of the Rover Group and Cadbury Schweppes.
  • Sir Kenneth Durham, Chairman of Woolworth holdings and Deputy Chairman of British Aerospace.
  • Sir Christopher France, CB, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health.
  • Mr. Duncan Nichol, CBE, Chief Executive of the NHS Management Executive.
  • Sir Robert Scholey, CBE, Chairman of British Steel.

The policy board will determine the strategy, objectives and finances of the NHS in the light of Government policy, and will set objectives for the management executive and monitor whether they are achieved.

The NHS management executive members will be:

  • Mr. Duncan Nichol, CBE. Chief Executive
  • Mr. Graham Hart, CB, Director of Operations
  • Mr. Michael Fairey, Director of Information and Review
  • Ms. Sheila Masters, Director of Finance
  • Mr. Peter Wormald, Director of Personnel
  • Dr. Ron Oliver, CB, Medical Director
  • Miss Patsy Wright-Warren, Nursing Director
  • Mr. Bryan Rayner, CB, Director, Family Practitioner Services
  • Mr. Idris Pearce, CBE, Estates Adviser

The executive will deal with all operational matters relating to both the hospital and community health service and the family practitioner service, within the strategy and objectives set by the policy board.

"Working for Patients" emphasised the need to distinguish in our central management of the NHS between strategy—making clear the direction the Government want the service to follow—and the operational tasks involved in putting that strategy into practice. In other words, it is Ministers' job to set a framework of policies, priorities and resources and, within that, to leave managers to manage and to answer for their performance.

This is reflected in the different roles of the policy board and the management executive. I am delighted that, as chairman of the policy board, I shall be able to draw on such a wide range of experience and achievement and that the chief executive of the management executive will lead an equally strong team.