§ Mr. DowdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when the NHS leadership award scheme was established; how many recipients there have been during each year; what criteria are used in deciding an award; who nominates candidates for the award; who determines each recipient;564W what an individual award comprises; what has been the budget for the award for each year; and who paid for the advertisement in the South London Press of 8 March concerning the receipt of such an award by the chief executive of Lewisham hospital trust.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe scheme was introduced last autumn by Sir Duncan Nichol as part of his strategy for improving the quality of management within the national health service. Staff were invited to nominate their chief executives or general managers for awards if, as a result of their leadership, improvements in local services had been achieved. On 8 March Sir Duncan presented plaques to the nine awards recipients he had selected in the light of assessments made by senior executives from major public companies. There was no budget specifically for the scheme; costs were met from within existing management executive budgets for non-staff expenditure. The advertisement to which the hon. Member refers was paid for by private individuals who wanted to celebrate the fact that Mrs. Val Martin was one of the nine awards recipients.