NHS Property Services was set up by the Department of Health to develop and manage around 4,000 NHS assets covering estates, property and facilities, which will transfer along with more than 3,000 staff following the abolition of Strategic Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts on 31 March 2013.

The new company will play a vital role in the day-to-day running of the NHS by improving patient care through the effective management of the NHS estate.

The four new Non Executive Directors bring significant expertise from the world of property, commerce and industry.

They join the other non-executives, Charles Howeson, Chair, and Peter Coates, CBE, who is the shareholder representative, on the Board.

Commenting on the appointment of the new Non Executive Directors, Charles Howeson said:  “We are delighted to welcome these new Non Executive members to our Board. They bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience which will be invaluable to NHS Property Services Ltd as we work to enhance the experience of NHS patients by providing safe, efficient and well maintained estate, buildings and facilities.”

Simon Holden, Chief Executive of NHS Property Services, added: “Our aim is to enable better clinical services and to enhance the experience of the thousands of patients who receive NHS care in our facilities daily, ranging from GP practices to community hospitals".

“The new Non Executive Directors have extensive skills and experience which will help guide and advise us, adding commercial disciplines to our existing public sector values.”

The four newly appointed Non Executive Directors are:

Peter joined the Department of Health in 1997 and became Commercial Director in 2008.

He joined from the Treasury as head of its private finance team, with responsibility for oversight of the procurement of the £11billion PFI programme. He also led the introduction of LIFT into the NHS in 2001. LIFT is a programme using joint venture structures to modernise the primary care infrastructure on a geographical basis. Since its introduction, over £2 billion has so far been invested in over 200 primary care buildings in more than 40 communities across England.

He also led the Department’s creation of NHS Shared Business Services Ltd, the public/private 50/50 joint venture with Steria to provide financial and other support services to the NHS which now has a turnover of £85m. He acquired responsibility for procurement policy and responsibility for the NHS Supply Chain contract over 2 years ago.

He is lead on the sale of PRUK Ltd, a Department of Health owned company that collects blood plasma in the USA and fractionates it at a factory in the UK. Around 50% of the £150m turnover is sold on world markets.

NHS Property Services Ltd is a private limited company wholly owned by the Secretary of State for Health. It will own the legal title to assets worth £5 billion and will employ more than 3,000 staff across England.

It was set up to manage the estate that was previously managed by Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). PCTs are to be abolished from 31 March 2013 under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

The company will run and manage the estate on behalf of the NHS Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups. This covers some 4,000 properties, mainly small health centres and administration buildings, but where no clear majority owner of community and other larger facilities cannot be established, NHS Property Services Ltd will act as landlord.

The new company will play a vital role in the day-to-day running of the NHS.

Core functions will include strategic estates management, property management, operational estates management, facilities management and dedicated back office support.

As experts in healthcare infrastructure, NHS Property Services Ltd will support quality improvement, innovation and efficiency, working closely with the National Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups, the NHS Trust Development Authority and other partners.

For more information contact the Communications Team on 01823 361365 or out of hours on 0844 5605265.

Jeremy Monroe was most recently a Partner and Vice President in IBM’s consulting and systems integration business (GBS), and previously a Partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he was an elected member of the UK Supervisory Board. He took up post on 11 February.

NHS Blood and Transplant is responsible for the provision of a reliable, efficient supply of blood to hospitals in England and North Wales, and associated services to the wider NHS. It is also the organ donation organisation for the UK and is responsible for matching and allocating donated organs.

Bill Fullagar, Chair of NHS Blood and Transplant said:

“I am delighted that Jeremy is joining a strong and ambitious Board which is devoted to improving and saving patient lives.  NHS Blood and Transplant has a record of consistently  improving the quality and the efficiency of the services it provides and will continue to set itself ambitious targets in the period ahead.”

On his appointment to the NHS Blood and Transplant Board, Jeremy Monroe said:

“I am delighted to be able to contribute to such an increasingly important and rapidly developing aspect of our Health Service.  I am looking forward to adding my experience of supply chains and complex systems to a great team.”

This appointment is made in accordance with the code for public appointments, issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) to be made public. Jeremy Monroe has declared no political activity
Jeremy Monroe holds no other Ministerial public appointments

The appointment is for four years from 11 February 2013. The role is remunerated at a rate of £7,883 for 2 to 3 days per month.

Jeremy Monroe will join the 6 other Non Executive Directors on NHSBT’s Board – Andrew Blakeman, Dr Christine Costello, Professor John Forsythe, Roy Griffins, George Jenkins and Shaun Williams.

For further information on NHSBT please visit the website.

The NHS Organ Donor Register records the details of people who have registered their wishes to donate organs and/or tissue after their death for transplantation. This information is checked after someone has died, by authorised medical staff, to establish whether a person wanted to donate.

The NHS needs 7,000 units of blood daily to supply hospitals across England and North Wales. Currently, 4% of the eligible population are active blood donors, helping to ensure that hospital demand is met.

To join the NHS Organ Donor Register or to register as a blood donor call the donor line on 0300 123 23 23. You can also join on-line by visiting the Organ Donor Register website or the Give Blood website.

Mr Collins, who was lead director at Ipswich Borough Council for health strategies and improvements for many years, takes up his appointment on 1 April this year.

He brings to the NHS extensive experience of leading change, corporate restructures and transformation programmes, including setting up multi-agency customer service and contact centres. Mr Collins has led complex multi-agency partnership projects such as the Ravenswood development, and key Ipswich Waterfront regeneration schemes including Felaw Maltings.

Between 1974 and 1985, Mr Collins had a career in planning in the public sector in South Yorkshire, Berkshire and London. He came to Ipswich in 1985 and was appointed a corporate director at Ipswich Borough Council in 1991 until December last year. During this time he established strong links with many local organisations and groups, and has a good knowledge of the local community.

He has a BA in Geography and an MA in Town and Regional Planning. Mr Collins also has professional memberships of the Royal Town planning Institute, the Chartered Management Institute and SOLACE. Mr Collins founded the East West Rail Consortium (made up of 25 local authorities/agencies across central southern England and was chairman for several years). He also initiated and led the East Anglian campaign to lobby for Stratford International.

The appointment has been warmly welcomed by Ann Tate CBE, Chair of The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, one of the largest and busiest hospitals in the east of England.

“We are delighted that Laurence is joining the Board. He will bring invaluable experience and expertise to the NHS and be a very strong link between the hospital and key partners”, Mrs Tate said.

On the news of his appointment, Mr Collins said “The Ipswich Hospital is an essential and cherished part of our community and it is an honour to be appointed to serve and help lead the development of the hospital in the challenging years ahead" 
Mr Collins has been appointed for a four-year term of office from 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2017.

This appointment has been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice (Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments). Mr Collins will receive remuneration of £6,096 per annum.

All non-executive appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointee’s political activity (if any declared) to be made public. Mr Collins has no declared political activity in the past five years and does not hold any other ministerial appointments.

Alan Bateman, a non executive director of the hospital Trust Board, has been appointed deputy chairman. This role was previously held by Dave Norval, non-executive director, who stepped down from the Board at the end of his term of office on 31 December last year.