Appointments of members to NHS boards in England have not always been made on merit, according to a report from the public appointments commissioner.
The report makes 28 recommendations, and the health secretary, Alan Milburn, has already agreed to a fundamental overhaul. He agreed that in future the 2000 non-executive board members of trusts will be appointed by local health authorities, but ministers will still appoint the chairs of the trusts and the health authority members.
The inquiry, by the independent commissioner, Dame Rennie Fritchie, found that Labour MPs lobbied for their own candidates or added names to shortlists. Her report calls on ministers to look at the role and purpose of NHS boards and the range of skills and experience required. She wants “the right people to do the right job for the NHS.”
The inquiry looked at the lay appointments, officially made by ministers, to trusts and health authorities in England in the three years since the general election.
Of the 343 councillors who had been appointed, 284 represented Labour; 23 were Conservatives, and 36 were Liberal Democrats. Dame Rennie emphasised that political activity should not be a bar to a public appointment. But, she added, “It is clear that there have been instances where a person's political association has been a decisive factor in the consideration of their candidature and that appointments to the NHS have not always been on merit.”
Since the general election there have been 3447 appointments. Of these, 638 have been Labour activists.
The report recommends that MPs should still be able to nominate candidates but not be allowed to comment on the shortlists for chairperson appointments.
Public Appointments to NHS Trusts and Health Authorities is on the website of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (www.ocpa.gov.uk) and is available from the OCPA, Room 62/2, Horse Guards Road, London SW1P 3AL.