Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will announce the details of the review into the use of the fit and proper persons test recommended by Dr Bill Kirkup in the Liverpool Community Health Review.

Following Dr Bill Kirkup’s recent review of Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust the Government has accepted the report’s recommendation to undertake a review of the Fit and Proper Persons Requirement.

My hon. Friend the Minister of State (Stephen Barclay) set out the aims of the review on 8 February 2018 stating the review will need to address the operation and purpose of the fit and proper test, including but not limited to:

- where an individual moves to the National Health Service in another part of the United Kingdom;

- where they leave but subsequently provide healthcare services to the NHS from another healthcare role, such as with a charity or a healthcare company;

- where differing levels of professional regulation apply, such as a chief executive who is a clinician compared to one who is a non-clinician;

- where there is a failure to co-operate with a review of this nature and what the consequences of that should be; and

- reviewing the effectiveness of such investigations themselves when they are conducted.

The Minister of State visited Liverpool Community Health on 18 May and met the Chief Executive Officer and other Liverpool health leaders on 10 May.

The Department has appointed a QC to lead the review and is working to finalise the Terms of Reference. We expect to be able to provide an update on the review during the week commencing 21 May.