§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what account he takes of previous membership of community health councils in considering appointments to the boards of NHS trusts and health authorities. [32099]
§ Mr. MilburnThe new criteria for considering candidates for National Health Service boards stipulate that successful applicants must: have a strong personal commitment to the NHS; be able to demonstrate a commitment to the needs of the local community; be able to demonstrate an ability to contribute to the work of the board; and be able to demonstrate an interest in healthcare issues. The criteria also state that candidates might have already served the community in some other capacity, and be able to offer specialist knowledge relevant to the work of the trust or health authority.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 25 February 1998,Official Report, column 264, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on the number of board members of NHS trusts, ambulance NHS trusts and health authorities who prior to their appointment served on a community health council. [32097]
§ Mr. MilburnDetails of Community Health Council membership is currently collected in the application form for appointment to National Health Service boards. This information is taken into account in considering individual applications but there are no current plans to collate the information for monitoring purposes.