Health chairman's 'hatchet-man' tag
A HEALTH watchdog is concerned a chairman appointed to a crisis-hit NHS body is intended to be 'a hatchet man'.
Members of the Patient and Public Involvement Forums wonder if Sir Ron Watson CBE (pictured), who lives in Southport, has been brought in to sort out the financial situation at Cheshire West Primary Care Trust because he has no allegiances to the area.
Geoff Ryall-Harvey of the PPI said: 'Theyhave broughtinsomebodywho has no real connections with the area.Wecan onlythinkthatit's because he's been brought in to be a hatchet man.'
Sir Ron replaces Bob Hodson, who resigned citing personal reasons in the week before it was announced the Trust had debts of £17.6m. Fellow board member John Craven resigned shortly afterwards.
SirRon isaConservativecouncillor and former leader of Sefton Council who is also a senior peer with the Improvement and Development Agency and has been involved in many projects that have helped poorly-performing local councils throughout the country.
He said: 'Anyone who knows me would understand that the use of the phrase 'hatchet man' is totally inappropriate. Iam apeoplepersonand have spent most of my life in public affairs trying to improve services in both the health service and local government.'
Sir Ron said the PCT's financial recovery plan was being progressed in order to meet the government demand that health bodies balance their budgets by March 31, 2007.