Two non-executive directors have been appointed to a new adjudication body for health professionals intended to separate investigation from adjudication in fitness to practice cases.
Andrew Colquhoun and Pamela Charlwood were appointed to the Office of the Health Professions Adjudicator (OHPA), which from 2011 will adjudicate on fitness to practise cases bought before it by the General Optical Council and the General Medical Council (News 01.08.08).
Both non-executive directors will work with the OHPA's chair, Walter Merricks, to oversee the establishment of the new independent body.
Merricks said of the appointments: 'I am pleased to welcome Andrew Colquhoun and Pamela Charlwood as fellow directors of OHPA. They both have distinguished career histories and will bring relevant blends of experience to the board. Their appointments mark an early milestone in the development of OHPA.'