New Council for the Health Professions Council appointed

23/06/2009

New Council appointed

The Health Professions Council (HPC) is pleased to announce the appointment of its new Council.  There will be 19 members who will serve on the new Council alongside the appointed Chair, Anna van der Gaag.  

The new appointees are drawn from a variety of backgrounds including education, commerce, the voluntary sector and the professions regulated by the HPC. 

The new Council is:

Anna van der Gaag (Chair)

Patricia Blackburn
Mary Clark-Glass
Malcolm Cross
John Donaghy
Sheila Drayton
Julia Drown
John Harper
Richard Kennett
Jeff Lucas
Morag Mackellar
Arun Midha
Penelope Renwick
Keith Ross
Deep Sagar
Eileen Thornton
Annie Turner
Joy Tweed
Diane Waller
Neil Willis

Further details including a career history and information about other ministerial appointments held is appended to this release. 

HPC Chair, Anna van der Gaag commented:

“We have recruited a Council with a strong mix of skills, ability and experience drawn from all parts of the UK.  This is a particularly important time for us with our role in public protection continuing to grow as we regulate new professions, continually improve our services and work with the professions to maintain high standards of good professional practice.  I am delighted to be working with such a strong restructured Council at this particular time.” 

Chief Executive of the HPC, Marc Seale, commented;

“I am looking forward to working with the members of the new Council. It is an exciting time for us at the HPC with new professions such as practitioner psychologists, hearing aid dispensers, psychotherapists and counsellors set to join our Register over the coming years.”

“Council Members play a vital role in the strategic direction of the HPC and therefore fulfilling our primary function of protecting the public. It is a rewarding and fulfilling position to hold that has great impact.”

In 2007 a government white paper, entitled Trust, Assurance and Safety – The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century, made a number of proposals regarding the governance arrangements for the nine UK healthcare regulators. One proposal was that the Council’s of regulators should be smaller and more ‘board-like’. The white paper also proposed that all Council members should be independently appointed rather than elected.
 
In February 2008 the HPC recommended to the Department of Health (DH) that the number of members on the HPC Council should be 20 (including the Chair), and that there should be an equal representation of registrant and lay members. On 3 July 2008, the Council agreed the criteria which will be used to appoint the Chair and members of the restructured Council.

HPC’s newly appointed Council will play a key role in setting strategy and policy and ensuring the HPC fulfils its statutory duties. The aim is to create a diverse Council, with a balanced mix of skills and experience reflecting the professions we regulate and public that we serve. The restructured Council will be comprised of a Chair and 19 Council members and will commence on 1 July 2009.

- Ends -

Notes to Editors:
1. Terms to start on 1 July 2009 and information about lengths of appointment and career history for each Council member is appended to this release.
2. Appointment Commission works on behalf of the Secretary of state:http://www.appointments.org.uk/about.asp
3. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) to be made public. This information is appended to this release.
4. An attendance allowance of £310 per day and incurred expenses is payable for the Chair and member roles.

5. For further information about the Council please see http://www.hpc-uk.org/aboutus/council/  or contact Louise Hart, Secretary to the Council, on 020 7840 9711 or email louise.hart@hpc-uk.org

6. For media enquiries please contact Ebony Gayle, Press and Public Relations Manager, on 020 7840 9784 or email ebony.gayle@hpc-uk.org
7. The Health Professions Council is an independent, UK-wide health regulator set up by the Health Professions Order (2001).  The HPC keeps a register for 13 different health professions and only  registers people who meet the standards it sets for their training, professional skills, behaviour and health. The HPC will take action against people who do not meet these standards or who use a protected title illegally.
8. The HPC currently regulates 13 professions and each profession has one or more ‘protected titles’. Anyone who uses one of these titles must register with the HPC. To see the full list of protected titles please visit our website: www.hpc-uk.org/aboutregistration/protectedtitles/
• Arts therapists
• Biomedical scientists
• Chiropodists / podiatrists
• Clinical scientists
• Dietitians
• Occupational therapists
• Operating department practitioners
• Orthoptists
• Paramedics
• Physiotherapists
• Prosthetists / orthotists
• Radiographers
• Speech and language therapists
9. From 1 July 2009, the HPC will be the statutory regulator of practitioner psychologists.  For more information please visit our website www.hpc-uk.org

Patricia Blackburn
Registrant Member Northern Ireland

Patricia Blackburn is a Commissioner for the Allied Health Professions with the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland and has been in this role since being appointed in 2004. She is currently on secondment to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, as the Lead Allied Health Professions Officer for Northern Ireland. She previously worked as the Orthoptic Services Manager for the Down Lisburn Trust. Mrs Blackburn held the Chair of the newly formed Irish Branch of the British and Irish Orthoptic Society until 2007 and is Chair of the Central Advisory Committee for the Allied Health Professions to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland. Patricia has previously carried out voluntary work for Soroptimist International of Belfast and was Chair of the Management Committee of East Belfast Homestart.  She is a current Council and Committee member of the Health Professions Council and commenced in 2001.Patricia is married and has four children.

Appointment 2 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held  Advisory Committee, AHP department DHSSPSNI from 2004 to current date. No payments received.

Mary Clark-Glass
Lay Member Northern Ireland

Mary Clark-Glass currently holds office as a lay member of the Health Professions Council, an associate of the General Medical Council and as a member of the General Dental Council’s Fitness to Practice Committee. She is also a Lay member of the Tribunal established under Section 19 to the N. Ireland Act 1998. Previous public appointments have included; a non-executive member of the Royal Victoria Hospitals Trust, Lay member of the General Medical Council and a Commissioner on the Commission for Racial Equality for Northern Ireland. She was also Chair and Chief Executive of the Equal Opportunities Commission for Northern Ireland from 1984 to 1992 and served as member of the Council of the University of Ulster for eight years from 1992. She is a founder member of Northern Ireland’s Women’s Rights Movement and worked in a voluntary capacity over many years with Victim Support.

Appointment 3 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held Health Professions Council, Department of Health from 1993 to present. Received payment of £310 per diem.

Malcolm Cross
Registrant Member

Malcolm Cross is the Dean of Students in the Department of Psychology at City University, London. He was elected Chair Elect of the Division of Counselling Psychology in 2006 and took up the role of Chair of the Division in 2007 through 2009. He currently is a member of the Training Committee in Counselling Psychology and panel member for the Societies’ Investigatory Committee and a Partner with the Health Professions Council. Malcolm combines a busy teaching schedule with pastoral work and research and writing activities. As well as researching the areas of learning and teaching, Malcolm is pioneering research into clients’ negative experiences of counselling and psychotherapy and recently produced and presented a DVD on the subject, “When Therapy Hurts – Negative Experiences of Counselling”.

Appointment 3 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held None

John Donaghy
Registrant Member

John Donaghy is Principal Lecturer and Professional lead in Paramedic Science at the University of Hertfordshire. Prior to this post he worked for the London Ambulance Service (LAS) for twenty-nine years, the last five years as Sector Training Officer based at the City & Hackney complex. Throughout his career within the LAS he has carried out the full range of operational duties, such as: Patient Transport, Accident & Emergency, Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS), Response Units, Duty Officer, Decontamination team member and in 2000 he was one of a small team of medics attached to the medical centre at the Millennium Dome. He undertook the conversion course from extended trained personnel to Paramedic in 1991. He has worked at the University for the past four years and undertook his Honours Degree in Paramedic Science during this time.  He has been involved with validation of Paramedic programmes and curriculum design and is committed to further developing the Paramedic profession. He is a current Council and committee member of the Health Professions Council and commenced in July 2007. He has over 30 years experience with the London Ambulance Service and is currently undertaking a professional doctorate in Education at the University of Hertfordshire.

Appointment 4 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held None

Sheila Drayton
Lay Member Wales

Sheila Drayton is a Professional Officer at the Clinical Governance Support and Development Unit, National Leadership and Innovation Agency in Wales.  She is also a Consultant in professional and organisational development. Her area of expertise lies in supporting professionals and lay people to develop standards, safe services and integrated governance in the NHS; and in professional regulation in other sectors, for example the Social Care Sector. She has a General Management Training qualification and an MSc in Health and Social Service Planning. She has also held Board level posts in the NHS, and professional adviser posts in the Health Department of the Welsh Office. She is a current lay member of the Health Professions Council and her other appointments include member of the General Teaching Council Wales.

Appointment 2 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years Pay annual subscription as a member of the Labour Party.
Other ministerial appointments held Health Professions Council, NHS Appointments Commission department from July 2005 to July 2009. Received payment of £310 per day.

General Teaching Council for Wales, Welsh assembly Government from Nov 2007 to Aug 2010. Received payment of £165 per day.

Julia Drown
Lay Member

Julia Drown is a member of the Nursing and Midwifery Council's Business Planning and Governance Sub-Committee. Previous appointments include: Chair of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit Report on "Antenatal Screening for Group B Streptococcus Colonisation - Protocol Development for a Randomised Controlled Trial." Member of Parliament for South Swindon (Labour - 97-05) and Member of the House of Commons Health Select Committee. She has worked with Central and Local Government, and in the NHS. She has been a CIPFA Accountant, an NHS Senior Executive, and a County Councillor.

Appointment 4 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years An MP till 2005. Spoke and canvassed in favour of her replacement, and has since done a small amount of canvassing. Offered help and small amount of financial support to current MP.
Other ministerial appointments held None

John Harper
Lay Member Scotland

John Harper is a Senior Vice-Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Development and Quality) at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. Previously he was Assistant Principal/Dean of Faculty of Health and Social Care and has contributed to the strategic direction and leadership of the University. He chairs a number of the University level committees and is also involved with committees associated with the Scottish Funding Council, the Quality Assurance Agency (Scotland) and Universities Scotland.

Appointment 3 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held None

Richard Kennett
Lay Member

Richard Kennett is a Chartered Accountant and has spent the last 36 years in the accountancy profession, majoring in company work, particularly audit and business advice, and in forensic accounting and dispute resolution, with his retirement from his position as a Director of Business Services with Tenon Limited in June this year.  He has been the Specialist Accountant Member of the Audit Committee and Observer at the Finance and Resources Committee of the Health Professions Council since December 2005. He is also an Independent Member of the Audit Committee of the Water Services Regulation Authority (OFWAT), a Non-Executive Member of the Audit Committee of Hanover Housing Association and a member of the Tribunal Panel of the Accountancy and Arbitration Discipline Board. Richard is also a qualified Arbitrator and Mediator and is on many dispute resolutions panels.

Appointment 4 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held None

Jeff Lucas
Lay Member

Jeff Lucas is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Bradford. He is also a Lay Member for the Health Professions Council, a member of the HPC Education and Training Committee and a Member of the Medical Research Society. Professor Lucas is also a Member of the Centre for the Advancement for Interprofessional Education, a Board member for the Bradford Institute for Health Research, a Member of the Leeds/Bradford Medical School Expansion Advisory Board and a member for the Board of Governors for the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. Professor Lucas is also Member of the Board of Governors for the Namal College in Mianwalli, Pakistan and the Editor and Editorial Board Member of the International Journal of Clinical Governance. Professor Lucas has also contributed to over 20 publications relating to the Effectiveness of Interprofessional Education for the health professions, including international evaluations in Norway, Australia and Sweden. 

Appointment 3 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held None

Morag MacKellar
Registrant Member Scotland

Morag MacKellar is Head of Nutrition and Dietetics, Forth Valley Primary Care and Public Health Nutritionist for NHS Forth Valley. She is also a member of Stirling Community Health Partnership Committee, and Chair of the national multi-agency steering group Scottish Nutrition and Diet Resource Initiative. Morag contributes to a number of departmental and policy groups for the Scottish Government including the recent Scottish Food and Health Council. She is a former Chair of the Dieticians Board at Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine and previously Chair of the British Dietetic Association (BDA).  She is a current Council and committee member of the Health Professions Council and commenced in April 2002. In addition she has been made a Fellow of the BDA in recognition of her services to the dietetic profession.

Appointment 3 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held None

Arun Midha
Lay Member
Dr Midha is a member of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB), the Welsh Language Board, the BBC Audience Council for Wales and is an external member of the Sustainable Futures Corporate Governance committee at the Welsh Assembly Government. He is an external member on the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Audit and Quality assurance committee, Chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society for Great Britain's Code of Conduct panel, a Judge of the Queens Anniversary Prizes for Further and Higher Education and a Governor of two Welsh medium schools. He was a lay member and Council’s Treasurer of the General Medical Council, a trustee of the Pension scheme and member of the Education Committee and Undergraduate Board. He has also served as the independent chair at the Renal Advisory Board in the Welsh Assembly Government, lay chair of the NHS complaints panel in Wales, a Justice of the Peace and has been a non-executive director of the Wales NHS Ambulance Trust. Dr Midha has held a number of Executive appointments including the roles of Director of Strategy and Resources, Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education at Cardiff University and was the Assistant Director, Welsh Combined Centres for Public Health at the University of Wales College for Medicine.
Appointment 4 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held PMETB, GMC Education Committee from 2008 to present. Received payment of £9000 per annum.

Penny Renwick
Registrant Member

Penny Renwick is the Associate Dean of Health, Psychology and Social Care at Manchester Metropolitan University, involved in the provision of pre and post-registration education of allied health professionals and nurses. She is a member of the Allied Health Professions Workforce Board for the NHS North West. She has been a Visitor and Registrant Assessor for the Health Professions Council since 2003.  Penny has a wealth of experience in the quality assurance of health professional education and is currently a Member of the Undergraduate Faculty and the Quality Assurance Committee for the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists.

Appointment 3 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held None

Keith Ross
Lay Member Scotland

Keith Ross is a self employed Management and HR Consultant with the Scott-Ross Partnership, undertaking various executive assignments for public sector organisations, with a current contract as Interim HR Director, Herriot Watt University. He is a lay member of the Health Professions Council and Chair of the HPC’s Conduct and Competence Committee. He is also a member of the Conduct and Competence Panel for the Nursing and Midwifery and the Council Code of Conduct Panel Chair for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Previously he was Director of Personnel for Fife Health Board and Queen Margaret Hospital NHS Trust.

Appointment 4 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held Health Professions Council from 2001 to 2009. Received payment of £310 per day

Deep Sagar
Lay Member

Deep Sagar is a management consultant who has extensive experience of governance and management across various sectors. His career was predominantly with multinationals including Coca-Cola and Unilever Bestfoods as a senior manager. He has been chair of NHS 24, non-executive director of Expert Patients Programme and a committee member of the Law Society of Scotland. His present roles include Chair of LEASE, Turnstone Support Limited and Probation Board Hertfordshire.

Appointment 2 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held LEASE from Jan 2007 to Dec 2011. Received payment of £217 per day

Probation Board, Hertfordshire from March 2008 to March 2011. Received payment of £15,420 per annum.

National Lottery Commission from Sept 2007 to Aug 2011. Received payment of £287 per day.

Thurrock TG Development Corp from Oct 2006 to Dec 2009. Received payment of £12,100 per annum.

Parole Board from Aug 2007 to July 2010. Received payment of £186 per day.

Planning Inspectorate from Sept 2007 to Aug 2009. Received payment of £430 per day.

Public Guardian Board from Feb 2007 to Feb 2011. Received payment of £300 per day.

Employment tribunals from Oct 2005 to Sept 2011. Received payment of £174 per day.

Learning and Skills Council from Oct 2008 to Sept 2010. Received payment of £7,400 per annum.

Eileen Thornton
Registrant Member

Eileen Thornton has been the Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching), Faculty
of Medicine, at the University of Liverpool since 2007 and has also held the position of Head of School of Health Sciences, University of Liverpool since 1999. She was Senior Lecturer, Head of Division of Physiotherapy and Head of Department of Allied Health Professionals from 1999 – 2004. Eileen has been Chair of numerous committees and boards during her career. She is a current council and committee member of the Health Professions Council and has been the alternate member for physiotherapy since the HPC began in its shadow form. She has been the Chair of the Education and Training Committee (HPC) since 2003. Eileen was Vice President of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy from 1999–2003. She was also Chair of the Professional Awards Committee and Chair of a Focus Group for Strategic Review of the Chartered Society for Physiotherapy. Eileen is also currently the Chair of the Faculty and Teaching Learning Committee, Chair and Member of the Academic Standards Sub-Committee (Faculty of Medicine) and a Member of the Steering Group for Review of Medical Curriculum.

Appointment 4 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held  None

Annie Turner
Registrant Member

Annie Turner is the Professor of Occupational Therapy at the University of Northampton. She was also the Professional lead in Occupational Therapy, 2005 – 2007 at the University of Northampton. Annie was seconded, part time, to the Open University Faculty of Health and Social Welfare as an Occupational Therapy Consultant 2004 – 2007. She has been an active member of her professional body for many years. This year, she became a member of the HPC Professional Liaison Group, Counsellors and Psychotherapists and in 2008 she was elected Chair of the Communications Committee, HPC. She was first elected to the HPC in 2005 as a registrant occupational therapy member. In 2002 she was named as one of ten leading occupational therapists in Great Britain (The Independent on Sunday Oct 13 issue). Annie has made a wide range of presentations to UK and international professional groups and conferences, including key note addresses. 

Appointment 3 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held  None

Joy Tweed
Lay Member

Joy Tweed is a part time lecturer at the University of Westminster and an Independent Consultant for the Health Scrutiny Support Programme of the Centre for Public Scrutiny, providing advisory support for local authority health overview and scrutiny committees. She is also a Non-Executive Director at Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust since 2002 and currently Chairs the Provider Development Committee. Mrs Tweed is a Lay Member for the disciplinary committee of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. She has previously been an antenatal teacher for the National Childbirth Trust, Participation and Development Manager for the Children’s charity Jigsaw4u and an Area Co-ordinator for the charity Action for Sick Children.

Appointment 2 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held None

Diane Waller
Registrant Member

Diane Waller is a Professor of Art Psychotherapy, Programme Leader MA Group and Intercultural Therapy and Research Supervisor for PhDs, Department of Professional and Community Education, Goldsmiths, University of London. Diane was previously Visiting Professor Queens University, Belfast and University of Ulster (2000 – 2006) and is now visiting professor at Imperial College, Chairing the International Research Centre for Arts Therapies. Diane represents the HPC on Strategy groups for Skills for Health (National Occupational Standards in Psychotherapy and Counselling) and Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies and New Ways of Working.  Diane received an OBE in 2007 for Services to Healthcare.

Appointment 4 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held  None

Neil Willis
Registrant Member

Neil Willis works part-time as Laboratory Medicine Co-ordinator for Training and Development at University Hospital Wales, having retired after 34 years as Acute Biochemistry Services Manager in Medical Biochemistry. He was elected to the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine in 1999, was nominated first to the Shadow Health Professions Council and then as the HPC registrant member for Biomedical Scientists until 2005, where he was the Chairman of the Investigating Committee. He is currently chair of the Employer Liaison Panel (University of Wales Institute Cardiff) and the Institute of Biomedical Scientists South East Wales. Neil holds several member posts, including member of the Health Committee, Remuneration Committee and Finance Committee (HPC) and member of the IBMS Welsh Professional Affairs Committee. Neil is also Vice Chairman of the Cardiff Branch Unite (Amicus) and is an external examiner for Biomedical Sciences, University of Essex. Neil is a Fellow of both the Institute of Laboratory sciences and the Royal Society of Medicine.

Appointment 2 Years
Declared political activity in the last five years None
Other ministerial appointments held Health Professions Council from 2000 to 2005. Received no payment.

Ebony Gayle
020 7840 9784