Written question asked by Rosie Cooper (Labour) on Wednesday, 1 March 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 3 March 2006. It was answered by Liam Byrne (Labour) on Monday, 20 March 2006 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Strategic Health Authorities

Question: (3) when the appointments of the interim chief executive posts for the new strategic health authorities were announced.

Answer: The strategic health authority (SHA) chief executives remain in post until the consultation on SHA and primary care trust reconfiguration has ended and Ministers make decisions about establishing any new SHAs.SHA boards remain statutorily accountable until any new SHAs are established.The Department has designated a transition lead for each potential new SHA area to ensure there is business continuity should new SHAs take over from July 2006. The transitional arrangements started on 1 February 2006 and will operate until any new SHAs are in place from July 2006. The Department has agreed a list of transition tasks which will be overseen by the transition leads. These are:"business continuity;""2006–07 planning;""managing the change;""motivation and engagement;""communication."There is no separate job description for the role.

Secondary information