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Dept of Health

Answer

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the status of the (a) chairman and (b) chief executive of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust will be if foundation status is approved; [190824] (2) what the procedures are for appointing a new (a) chairman, (b) chief executive and (c) trust board under the foundation trust proposals. [190825] Mr. Hutton: National health service foundation trusts are directly accountable to their local community through their board of governors, which includes governors elected from the membership community (local people, patients and staff) and people appointed from primary care trusts and local authorities. It is up to each NHS foundation trust to determine the detail of the arrangements for the membership and to decide on the size and shape of their board of governors in the light of their local circumstances and within certain minimum parameters set out in the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003. Each NHS foundation trust must make provision in its constitution for the conduct of elections to the board of governors, which must comply with any regulations in accordance with section 35 of the Act. The board of governors appoints the chair and other non-executive directors of the NHS foundation trust in accordance with schedule 1 of the Act. The chief executive is appointed by the non-executive directors, subject to the approval of the board of governors. The Act provides for different procedures to apply to the appointment of the chair, non-executive directors and chief executive when a NHS foundation trust that was a NHS trust is first authorised. These procedures are aimed at ensuring continuity of the organisation over the transition to the new governance arrangements. Under provisions in schedule 1 of the Act, the chief executive is appointed as chief executive and the chair and non-executive directors of the applicant NHS trust are appointed to the board of directors of the NHS foundation trust if, in each case, the person concerned wishes to appointed. The chair and non-executive directors are appointed for the remainder of their term on the NHS trust board or 12 months, whichever is the longer. Subject to minimum legal requirements, the size and shape of the board of directors is locally determined.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

425 c664-5W; 190824;190825

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Elections Public appointments Management Managers NHS foundation trusts Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk