Former RCGP president and GP, Professor David Haslam has been named as the government’s preferred candidate for the post of chair of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Professor Haslam is currently the national clinical adviser to the Care Quality Commission (CQC), chair of the NICE Evidence Accreditation Advisory Board and an expert member of the NHS National Quality Board.
He is a past president of the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).
Between 1976-2011, Professor Haslam also worked as a GP in Huntingdon.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has invited the Health Select Committee to hold a public pre-appointment scrutiny hearing to determine Professor Haslam’s suitability to the role of NICE chair.
High profile GP leaders such as the current RCGP chair Dr Clare Gerada and deputy chair of the BMA Dr Kailash Chand OBE congratulated Professor Haslam on being named as the government’s preferred candidate on social networking site Twitter.
Professor Haslam responded by tweeting: “Thanks to the Twitterati for all the kind messages. Really appreciated. Thank you.”
