Government announces appointment of the Chair to Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland

Minister for Public Health and Sport Shona Robison has announced the appointment of the Chair to Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland.

Ms Robison said:

“I am very pleased to announce this appointment. Professor Frank Clark CBE will bring a breadth and depth of experience and a wide range of skills that will be of great value to Social Care and Social Care Improvement Scotland as it finds its feet and grows. His record shows a strong commitment to public service over many years and demonstrates a sound knowledge and clear understanding of improvement and scrutiny functions and of the social care and social work field that SCSWIS will operate in.”

The new Chair is:

Professor Frank Clark entered the National Health Service in 1965 and his early career was spent in the field of psychiatry, progressing through a number of senior administrative appointments including a spell as the Administrator of Glasgow Royal Infirmary. In 1983 he moved to Lanarkshire Health Board as their District Administrator and was appointed Secretary to the Board in 1984, then became Chief Executive in 1985 – the first General Management appointment within the NHS in Scotland. During his term as Chief Executive he served on a number of major committees and working parties both nationally and locally and was Chairman of the Scottish Health Board Chief Executives’ Group.

He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List of 1991 for his service to the NHS Scotland. In 1992 he was appointed as a Visiting Professor at the newly formed Glasgow Caledonian University.

In 1996 he took up the post of Director of Strathcarron Hospice and in the same year was appointed as an Honorary Professor in the Department of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Stirling. Prof. Clark has held numerous roles across health and social care, which includes being appointed Chairman of the newly formed Forth Valley NHS Board, a position which he vacated in 2002 when he was appointed to a Ministerial Advisory Panel which was set up to look at management and decision making in NHS Scotland. In 2003 he was elected Chairman of the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care; and in 2009 he also led the Independent Scrutiny Panel set up by The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing to review the NHS Dumfries and Galloway Clinical Services Strategy. Professor Clark will bring a sound knowledge of the social care field, scrutiny and regulation and the ability to challenge constructively and influence others in effecting change, along with very strong interpersonal skills.

This is a joint appointment with Minister for Children and Early Years Adam Ingram.

The appointment will be for 4 years and will run from November 22, 2010 to November 21, 2014.

This post is part-time and attracts a daily fee of £236.50 for a time commitment of around 2-3 days per week.

Professor Clark is the Convener of the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care for which he receives an annual remuneration of £24,596. This appointment will lapse on taking up the post of Chair of Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland.

Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland is a new organisation which will begin operating on the 1 April 2011. As Chair of this new organisation Professor Clark will lead the transition arrangements for the establishment of SCSWIS.

Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland will take on the functions of The Social Work Inspection Agency, the Care Commission (with the exception of independent healthcare regulation) and HMIE’s functions in respect of the inspection of child protection and the development of children services inspection.

It will have around 600 staff and an initial budget of around £35 million.

Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland will take the lead in improving the quality of social care social work and children’s services. It will achieve this by regulating and inspecting; assessing risk; providing guidance and advice; influencing policy and standards; supporting improvement, and reporting publicly. The chair will be responsible for the efficient, effective and accountable governance of the organisation and for providing strategic leadership and direction which focuses on agreed outcomes.

Professor Clark will be supported by a Board. Posts are currently being advertised. Details can be found on www.appointed-for-scotland.org

This Ministerial public appointment was made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland’s Code of Practice.

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 within the last 5 years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public. Professor Clark has not been involved in any political activity.