We have made significant progress in planning and developing the Office for Health Professions Adjudicator (OHPA) with key appointments and decisions made by the board in the last week. This is in preparation for when OHPA takes over adjudicating on doctors’ fitness to practice cases from the General Medical Council (GMC) on 1 April 2011.
Personnel
The programme director has made key interim appointments to create a small transitional team.
Stephen Shaw, the recently appointed chief executive, has now confirmed that his start date at OHPA will be on 10 May 2010. He will be responsible for the recruitment of the permanent senior management team. In addition, the adjudication support team currently employed by the GMC will transfer to OHPA.
“I am hugely grateful to the OHPA transitional team for their splendid work in helping to set up OHPA,” Stephen said. “They are some of the most talented people with whom it has been my pleasure to work. Their preparation meant that the board was able to take fully considered decisions yet could swiftly share them with GMC colleagues and others.”
Accommodation and location
The OHPA team is currently housed in Department of Health premises at New Kings Beam House, Upper Ground, London and expects to be moving to new London headquarters later this year.
Looking ahead to April 2011 OHPA will retain the GMC offices in Manchester, which accommodates staff and hearing rooms, and will keep a location in London but it is not yet decided where this will be.
