The UK Government has today released a new 10-year plan for the NHS of which one of the central recommendations made by Tom Kark KC of QEB Hollis Whiteman in the 2019 Review of the Fit and Proper Person Test will be implemented.

The10 year plan announces:

For senior leaders who let their profession and colleagues down - whether through dishonest behaviour, by silencing whistle-blowers or covering up unsafe practice - we will legislate to establish a new system to disbar them from ever taking leadership roles in the NHS again. We know from our engagement that both the public and staff want failure to have consequences, and for us to bring an end to trend of people ‘failing upwards’ in the NHS

The implementation of the fifth recommendation made by Tom Kark KC in his review of the Fit and Proper Person test published in 2019 will be welcomed by many who have for many years campaigned for proper accountability amongst senior leadership in the NHS. 

All six of Tom Kark’s central recommendations have now been implemented by the Government following the introduction in 2023 of the NHS Fit and Proper Person test Framework for Board members and the introduction of the NHS Leadership Competencies in 2024. 

The inclusion of this recommendation within the NHS 10-Year Plan marks a significant policy shift in how senior leadership accountability is approached within the health service. Although we wait to see how the new disbarment mechanism will be brought into effect and which body will operate it, this appears to be a positive move towards making senior leaders accountable for their actions or inactions. 

A Review of the Fit and Proper Person Test can be found here.

The NHS 10-Year Plan can be found here.