Government Changes Health Trust Bosses

There are four hundred Trusts in England, which run hospitals and other health services.

Labour promised in their election manifesto to make the boards of health trusts more representative of local communities, claiming that some were Conservative placemen. The trusts run the health services in their areas and they've become highly controversial when hospital closures have been forced through against the wishes of local people.

Each health trust is run by a board of eleven, five of whom are full-time executive officials. The other six are part time non executives and the shake up will be in the way they're appointed. In the future they will have to "have an interest in the national health service" and they must also come from the local community.

Derek Day

The new guidance will affect the appointment of some two and a half thousand trust board members in England and has been welcomed by the administrators who actually run the health service.

Derek Day of the NHS Confederation says "The local community will have confidence in the board of the trust or health authority if they know that the people live there, understand their needs, and the needs of the local area."

But the Conservatives fear the efficiency measures they've introduced in the health service could be jeopardised if the changes proposed by the Health Secretary Frank Dobson result in the removal of board members with experience of running big organisations.

John Maples, Tory Health spokesman told the BBC "As long as it doesn't mean that they're going to fill up the boards with Labour Councillors. But I suspect that that may be what frank dobson has in mind, and if that's the case it's absolutely disasterous."

The shake-up in the membership of health trusts is the first step in what the government is promising will be a widespread re-organisation in the way health service is operated. Increasing local accountability is seen as priority.