Tag: appointment

Private warning as former Health Secretary appointed to ‘help government fix health and care’

Alarm Bells: Alan Milburn joins the Department of Health and Social Care’s board to ‘support the government’s ambitious plans for reform’

  • Alan Milburn has been appointed Lead Non-Executive Member to the board of the Department of Health and Social Care.
  • Mr Milburn ‘brings experience at the highest levels to help transform the health and care system‘
  • This (Labour) government is determined to work with experts who can provide the best advice to help rebuild an NHS fit for the future

Alan Milburn has been appointed Lead Non-Executive Member to the board of the Department of Health and Social Care.

The former New Labour Health Secretary has a ‘proven track record of reducing waiting lists and improving satisfaction in the NHS’.

Milburn is also a strong advocate of private healthcare involvement in the NHS. Back in 2015, Milburn intervened in the British election campaign to criticise Labour’s health plans, which would limit private sector involvement in the NHS. Milburn was criticised for doing so while having a personal financial interest in the private health sector.

The current Labour government says the NHS is broken and it is the mission of this government to fix it and make the health service fit for the future. As part of this national mission, experts are being brought in to help develop policy, and NHS staff and patients have been invited to share their experience and ideas to change the NHS at Change.NHS.gov.uk.

Members of the department board provide independent advice and expertise to inform the department’s strategy, performance and governance and the Lead Non-Executive Member provides additional support to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in his role as Chair of the board.

The Labour government says that, as a former Secretary of State, Alan brings experience at the highest levels of helping transform the health and care system – but health trade unions will be very wary of Milburn’s appointment.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “As Secretary of State, Alan made the reforms which helped deliver the shortest waiting times and highest patient satisfaction in the history of the NHS.

“This government has inherited a broken health service with some of the longest waiting times and lowest patient satisfaction in history. I am delighted to welcome Alan to the department board, where he will offer advice on turning the NHS around once again.

“His unique expertise and experience will be invaluable and he has an outstanding track record of delivering better care for patients.”

Lead Non-Executive Director Alan Milburn said: “I am delighted to be appointed to this role.

“Having spent three decades working in health policy, I have never seen the NHS in a worse state. Big reforms will be needed to make it fit for the future.

“I am confident this government has the right plans in place to transform the health service and the health of the nation. I’m looking forward to working with them to achieve that mission.”

Due to ‘the requirements of the role and the unique expertise and experience Alan Milburn brings’, he was appointed directly by the Secretary of State on following consultation with the Commissioner for Public Appointments, and in compliance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

The Department of Health and Social Care would like to thank Samantha Jones for all her work and support as non-executive director since February 2023.

TRANSFORMATION THROUGH PRIVATISATION?

Holyrood to appoint new Chair of Scottish Human Rights Commission

The appointment of Angela O’Hagan as the new Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission is to be endorsed by the Scottish Parliament on 16 May.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission’s role is to promote widespread awareness, understanding of, and respect for human rights.

The appointment follows an open recruitment process which sought candidates with a proven track record of promoting human rights, experience of successfully leading an organisation and excellent interpersonal and team working skills.

Professor O’Hagan will take up post in August 2024.

Angela O’Hagan is currently Professor of Equality and Public Policy at Glasgow Caledonian University where she created the current MSc in Human Rights and previously led the MSc in Citizenship and Human Rights. 

She is the Depute Director of the WISE Centre for Economic Justice.

Her career encompasses leadership roles in the community and statutory sectors in Scotland, including as Director of Carers Scotland, and Head of Campaigns and Communications with Oxfam Scotland, after a period with the Equal Opportunities Commission.

Throughout her career Professor O’Hagan has focused on integrating equality and human rights analysis in public policy, policy analysis and service design.

She has served on a number of advisory and project groups with successive Scottish Governments including currently as the independent chair of the Equality and Human Rights Budget Advisory Group and the National Advisory Council on Women and Girls, and previously as a member of the Commission on Local Tax Reform.

Professor O’Hagan has an international profile, particularly in gender and human rights budgeting, and through membership of academic and civil society networks.  In 2019, she was awarded the Jo Cox Award for Public Service and Activity Citizenship by the Political Studies Association.

Terms of appointment

  • The appointment is for a single term of 6 years.
  • The post attracts a daily fee rate of £351 and is not pensionable.
  • The time commitment is 10 days a month, 120 days a year.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission

The Commission is the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) for Scotland.  NHRls are independent organisations established by law, to promote and protect human rights.

The Commission is one of over 100 NHRls around the world.

Covid in Scotland: Public inquiry details announced

The terms of reference and a chair for the public inquiry into the handling of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland have been announced. 

In a statement to Parliament yesterday, Deputy First Minister John Swinney confirmed that the Hon. Lady Poole QC, Senator of the College of Justice of Scotland, will chair the inquiry.  

Mr Swinney also published the terms of reference for the inquiry covering 12 areas of investigation, each covering a strategic element of the handling of the pandemic, to identify lessons to be learned and recommendations as soon as practicable. 

The terms of reference were informed by public engagement and are subject to a period of reflection by the chair, who will be able to suggest adjustments, which may include taking the remit of the UK-wide COVID-19 inquiry into account. 

The period covered by the inquiry will be from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2022, but it will also consider pandemic planning undertaken prior to this.

The chair will now begin the process of appointing staff so the inquiry can begin considering evidence without delay.

Mr Swinney said: “Today, I am announcing the establishment of a statutory inquiry under the Inquiries Act to examine the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland.  

“I am grateful to everyone who has shared their views on what the inquiry should look into, in particular bereaved families and those who have lost friends and colleagues. Their input has been key in developing the inquiry’s terms of reference. 

“From my own and the First Minister’s interactions with Lady Poole, I am in no doubt that she has the necessary leadership skills, integrity and deep technical knowledge to undertake this inquiry. Her expertise in administrative and human rights law is exactly in line with our expectations of a human rights-based approach to the inquiry. 

“We are committed to working with the UK Government to develop the approach to the UK-wide inquiry and expect the chair of the Scottish public inquiry to coordinate with the chair of the UK-wide inquiry.” 

Lady Poole said: “I am honoured to chair this independent public inquiry examining the strategic response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland. We have all been affected by this pandemic.

“There has been a major impact on every aspect of all our lives. The death of so many as a result of COVID-19 is a tragedy, and others have suffered in many different ways. 

“The inquiry will work independently to establish the facts in an open and transparent way in order to determine what lessons can be learned for the future. There is a great deal to be done in a short space of time. I will continue to give considerable thought as to how best to conduct the inquiry to ensure it fully achieves its aims, including a careful and thorough examination of the terms of reference.

“My immediate focus will be on getting the right people in place to support me and establishing the necessary systems, processes and information flows needed to allow the inquiry to function efficiently and deliver as quickly as possible. Work has already begun on this.

“It is too early to be any more specific about how the inquiry will carry out its functions, other than to say that the arrangements for providing both written and oral evidence will be set out in due course once the initial establishment phase is completed. A bespoke website will be created, to provide information and publish updates as the inquiry progresses.

“I look forward to collaborating with my counterpart on the UK COVID-19 inquiry once that inquiry is established.”