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Camden News - by SIMON WROE
Published: 11 December 2008

Richard Arthur

‘Arranged marriage’ to a top job?

Health chiefs defend ex-council leader’s appointment to trust chairmanship

MENTAL health chiefs have stirred criticism among their own governors over the “arranged marriage” appointment of a new chairman.
The search for a replacement for Professor David Taylor – the head of the Camden and Islington Foundation Trust who quit after losing his temper with a service-user – concluded at a board meeting on Tuesday night.
But there was concern among some Trust members that they were acting as nothing more than a “rubber stamp” in the decision to appoint Richard Arthur, the former leader of Camden Council.
From a list of 14 initial candidates who were interviewed, Mr Arthur was the only one put forward by a Trust Nominations Committee, as revealed in last week’s New Journal. He was voted in by the board, although seven members abstained.
Service-user Jason Roberts, one of the trust’s governors, told the meeting: “Clearly the power this board of governors had has been ceded to other people. We don’t have a choice – it’s an arranged marriage.
“We can’t be sure Richard Arthur is the best person for the job because we know nothing about any of the other candidates.”
Other governors were angry they had found out about the appointment through the New Journal rather than their own Trust.
Judith Frame, a Trust director, insisted the selection process had been “detailed and fair”.
“We have made a recommendation, not a selection,” she said. “[Mr Arthur] has an incredibly strong track record in achieving high performance in the public sector. His values are very sympathetic to those of our organisation.”
Ms Frame added that details of the other candidates had not been listed because it would have been “uncomfortable” to compare them against the candidate who won.
Mr Arthur will take the Trust’s top seat in March next year.
Professor Taylor resigned in October blaming heavy workload and tiredness for his public outburst.

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