SHADOW COMMISSIONERS OF THE NEW HEALTH INSPECTORATE APPOINTED

23 May 2003 11:45 AM

The appointment of ten shadow Commissioners to help establish the new Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection were announced today. The NHS Appointments Commission has appointed the ten who will become Commissioners subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill.

In the meantime they have been appointed as Shadow Commissioners to advise Sir Ian Kennedy (Shadow Chair) and the Secretary of State for Health on the establishment of CHAI.

Sir Ian said: "I'm delighted that the ten Shadow CHAI Commissioners have agreed to take on this new and exciting challenge.

"Each will bring a unique viewpoint and skills which will be vital in developing the new organisation and establishing CHAI as a force for improvement for patients. I look forward to working with them greatly in establishing the new organisation."

The Commissioners are:

Khurshid Alam, aged 45 years, lives in Hendon, London. Mr Alam is a personnel manager with St Mungo's Housing Association. Previously he was Chief Executive of the National Association of Race Equality Councils. He is a lay member of the Employment Tribunal, a lay member for Mental Health Review Tribunal and member or chair of a number of community organisations.

Sarah Blackburn, aged 47 years, lives in Wraysbury, Middlesex. She is chief executive of a consultancy specialising in the development of business risk management assurance and audit capabilities for individuals and organisations. She has been head of internal audit and risk management in Argos plc, Kingfisher plc, RAC plc and Exel plc. She is a member of the Audit Committee of the Open University and the Internal Auditing Committee of the Audit and Assurance Faculty of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and she chairs the Technical Development Committee of the Institute of Internal Auditors.

Bruce Keogh, aged 48 years, lives in Birmingham. Mr Keogh is a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust where he has been Associate Medical Director for Clinical Governance. He is a member of the NHS Standing Medical Advisory Committee, the National Taskforce for Coronary Heart Disease and a Commissioner of the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI). He chairs the joint CHI and Audit Commission National Service Frameworks Programme Board which reviews the implementation of the National Service Frameworks in England and Wales. He is active in the NHS Information Authority, Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, Royal College of Surgeons and internationally.

Melinda Letts, OBE, aged 46 years, lives in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Ms Letts is a self-employed health policy consultant and executive/life coach working with voluntary, public and private sector clients. She is also Chairwoman of the Long-term Medical Conditions Alliance, an alliance of 120 health charities working for people with long-term conditions, and was chief executive of the National Asthma Campaign from 1992 to 1998. Ms Letts has been a Commission for Health Improvement Commissioner since November 1999 and a member of the NHS Modernisation Board since September 2000.

Nicholas Partridge, OBE, aged 47 years, lives in London. Mr Partridge is Chief Executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust. He is Chair of Consumers in NHS Research and Development and a Commissioner for the Commission for Health Improvement.

Shirley Pearce, aged 49 years, lives in Surlingham, Norfolk. Professor Pearce is Pro- Vice Chancellor and Professor of Health Psychology at the University of East Anglia. She is a clinical psychologist by profession and has been employed in both NHS and University settings. She led the development of the health professional education and research programmes at the University of East Anglia which includes the University's successful bid for, and implementation of, a new medical School. She is currently the Director of the Centre for Inter-professional Practice at UEA and a non executive director of Norfolk Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA.

John Scampion, aged 61 years, lives in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. Mr Scampion is the Commissioner for Immigration Services. For five years was the Social Fund Commissioner for Great Britain. He is a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board and a former non-executive director of South Warwickshire Combined Hospital NHS Trust. He was Town Clerk and Chief Executive of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull from 1977-1995.

Iqbal Singh aged 51 years, lives in Blackburn Lancashire. Professor Singh is a Consultant Physician in Medicine for the Elderly and a Professor in Ethnicity and Health. He is also the Regional Sub-Dean for the Royal Society of Medicine and has played a significant role in providing leadership to various professional organisations including as Director of the Indian Medical Association, Divisional Chairman of BMA and ODA and Member of the BMA's National Committee on Community Care. His interests include professional development and training and diversity, social cohesion and delivery of health care to ethnic communities for which he had contributed nationally and internationally.

Paul Streets, aged 43 years, lives in Robertsbridge, East Sussex. Mr Streets is the Chief Executive of Diabetes UK. He is a member of the NHS Modernisation Board and the only lay member of the Royal College of Physicians Council. In 2002 he chaired the Board advising on the transition to the new patient and public involvement structures within the NHS.

Stephen Thornton, aged 49 years, lives in Cambridge. Mr Thornton is Chief Executive of The PPP Foundation (shortly to become The Health Foundation), an independent foundation encouraging leadership and innovation in healthcare. He was previously Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation and a health authority Chief Executive. He is a member of the Governing Council of the Open University.

Notes for editors:
1. The Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection is being established to:

- Accelerate improvement in patient care and healthcare value for money across England and Wales

- Strengthen the accountability for those responsible for the commissioning and delivery of health care

- Demonstrate to the public how the additional money being invested in these services is being spent and enable them to judge how performance is improving as a result

- Streamline inspection arrangements for healthcare.

2. Subject to the necessary legislation passing through Parliament CHAI will be operational from April 2004. It will encompass all the current and proposed work of the Commission for Health Improvement, the Mental Health Act Commission, the National NHS value for money work of the Audit Commission and the independent health care work of the National Care Standards Commission.

3. Professor Sir Ian Kennedy was appointed as shadow Chair with effect from 2 December 2002.

4. The salary for the Commissioners will be £5,293 per annum with a time commitment of 2-3 days per month.

5. None of the Commissioners has declared any political interests.

6. More information on CHAI is available at
www.doh.gov.uk/statementofpurpose/index.htm