Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust: Public Appointments

(asked on 22nd February 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the appointments process for non-executives on the Board of the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust to ensure that applicants are not excluded from consideration based on their views of gender.


Answered by
Lord Kamall Portrait
Lord Kamall
This question was answered on 25th March 2022

No formal assessment of the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust’s appointments process for non-executives has been made. The appointment of chairs and non-executive directors of National Health Service foundation trusts is conducted by the council of governors which is obliged to comply with all equality laws and recruitment best practice.

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, as with other NHS trusts and foundation trusts, apply equality laws and best practice during recruitment and welcome applications from any suitably qualified candidate. This includes whether the candidate meets the NHS-wide criteria of promoting and respecting equality, diversity, and inclusion.

In 2013, Monitor published Your statutory duties: A reference guide for NHS foundation trust governors. This guidance sets out the statutory duties for governors of NHS foundation trusts, including appointing and removing the chair and other non-executive directors. The guidance states that the procedure for all appointments or reappointments must be formal, rigorous and transparent. The appointment must be awarded on merit and based on objective criteria

developed in the best interests of the trust. The process should be described in the NHS foundation trust’s annual report. A copy of the guidance is attached.

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is now receiving mandated support from NHS England and NHS Improvement under the System Oversight Framework.

Reticulating Splines