Health Committee report: Appointment of Chair of NHS England

Friday, 28 February 2025 09:23

On Wednesday 26 February, the Health and Social Care Committee held a pre-appointment hearing for the Chair of NHS England with the Government's preferred candidate for the role, Dr Penny Dash. The cross-party Committee chaired by Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, today publishes a report(attached and linked) following the hearing, which sets out its conclusions. During the hearing, Members asked Dr Dash about how she would see herself working effectively with...Request free trial

On Wednesday 26 February, the Health and Social Care Committee held a pre-appointment hearing for the Chair of NHS England with the Government's preferred candidate for the role, Dr Penny Dash.

The cross-party Committee chaired by Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, today publishes a report(attached and linked) following the hearing, which sets out its conclusions.

During the hearing, Members asked Dr Dash about how she would see herself working effectively with the NHS Executive team, including the Chief Executive, and how she would go about ensuring that the NHS works effectively with Integrated Care System (ICS) partners, such as local authorities.

MPs also asked Dr Dash about the overall approach she would bring to the role of the Chair and to the delivery of the 10-Year Health Plan, and how the Committee should judge whether she had been successful in the role.

In the conclusion and recommendation section of the report (pages 3-4), the Committee states the below:

Conclusion

We believe that Dr Dash would be a capable Chair and welcomed her focus on data and her commitment to drive best practice across the system to improve the quality of care. We believe that her CV shows that she would provide leadership and challenge to the NHS's Executive team. We would have liked to have heard more from Dr Dash about her strategic vision for NHS England and concrete steps she would take to deliver this vision. However, we understand that she did not want to pre-empt decisions being taken during the development of the 10- Year Health Plan. We welcome her recognition of her tendency to be an interventionist chair and her efforts to pull back from the operational detail. Addressing this will help her succeed in this role.

Recommendation

If the Department wishes to go ahead with the appointment, we recommend that Dr Dash is supported by the appointment of a Chief Executive with a strong track record of delivering change, who can complement Dr Dash's strong analytical skills. We would encourage her to focus on developing and articulating a clear vision of the future of the NHS that can be used to drive improvement in healthcare outcomes.