Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the propriety of the Chief Executive of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust taking part in the selection of that Trust’s Chair.

As a Foundation Trust Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has the freedom, granted to them under successive Governments, to determine many of its own policies and procedures including those relating to the appointment of a new Chair. NHS Improvement guidance does however state that a foundation trust’s Chief Executive should not be permitted to vote on appointing the chair to whom he or she will be accountable. NHS Improvement is working on further strengthening provider governance.