New board appointed to oversee health reforms

Chairman of the Humber Cluster Joint Board is Karen Knapton, who has been chairman of NHS East Riding for five years. The board will operate until March 31 2013, when four new clinical commissioning groups or CCGs take over. These will be led by GPs and will be responsible for planning and delivering £1.1bn in health services.

In the Humber area the NHS is aiming to save £300m by 2015.

Ms Knapton will be paid £39,406 a year for her new role. Three of the six non-executive directors include former chairs of primary care trusts.

Kath Lavery, who was chairman of NHS Hull until the beginning of the month, will be paid £7,882 a year in her role on the Humber Cluster Joint Board. She is also the vice chairman of the new Hull CCG at a salary, which is still to be agreed.

Val Waterhouse was chair of NHS North East Lincolnshire, while Helen Varey was chair of NHS North Lincolnshire.

Ms Knapton, a nurse and health promotion specialist by training, who has 25 years experience in the NHS, said: “I am delighted that the Appointments Commission has appointed such a strong board with a good local focus. Together we have a wealth of experience that will put us in a good position to lead and support the development of the new commissioning arrangements.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the outgoing non executive directors for their dedication and commitment to improving local health services. This expertise will not be lost during the transition period.

“They will continue to support the Humber Cluster in a lay capacity over the next 18 months to ensure the continuity of high quality, value for money health services for our local population.”

Ministers claim their plans for health service reconfiguration will save taxpayers billions of pounds by axing layers of bureaucracy but doubts have already been raised about the likely impact.

The board meets in public on November 3.

A spokeswoman for NHS East Riding said: “Any payment to be made for work related to CCGs is yet to be determined.”