12 December 2003
The government has shown it is more interested in finance than patients by appointing a former banker as the independent regulator of foundation trusts, according to a leading critic of the initiative. 'It looks as if they are placing more emphasis on finance than on patients,' said Labour MP Frank Dobson.
The former health secretary was sceptical about the appointment of Bill Moyes, who as head of infrastructure finance at the Bank of Scotland Group played a leading role in the funding of Private Finance Initiative schemes.
Moyes is currently director-general of the British Retail Consortium, although he has health service experience as NHS Scotland's director of strategic planning and performance management from 1990 to 1994. He was a civil servant from 1974 to 1994.
His role, which comes with a salary of up to £175,000, will be to license and monitor foundation trusts, as well as agree their borrowing limits.
The Department of Health insisted he had won the job 'in open competition'.
PFdec2003
