14 May 2004
The Department of Health intends to add to its army of czars by recruiting an equality and human rights champion.
A DoH spokeswoman told Public Finance that the department had spent a long time looking at how it could address the equality issue. She stressed that the czar would address not just race but the wider equality agenda including gender, age and sexuality. 'It's a big job but one that [NHS chief executive] Nigel Crisp is very keen to see up and running,' she said.
The successful applicant, a 'high flyer' with a strong reputation for delivering change, can look forward to a salary of £95,000 a year. He or she will lead a small team from within the DoH and advise Crisp on the equality agenda.
The DoH said the appointee would focus initially on implementing the race action plan published by Crisp last year.
PFmay2004
