However, in my explorations of the set up, I soon discovered seminal issues which have not been picked up by the consultation. These are:

!!! It is almost impossible to hold a QUANGO (Arms Length Body, Non Departmental Public Body) to account or exercise any form of independent performance appraisal. With CPPIH that meant they were freely able to go merrily on their wrongheaded course without any practicable means of requiring them to account for their actions and prevent further damage. For example, If local authority councillors or officers acted in as inept a fashion as CPPIH Commissioners and staff did, they could be reported to the Standards Board and could be ultimately held accountable by the electorate; if NHS staff or trust directors acted in such a way they could be referred to the Healthcare Commission. QUANGOs have no such regulatory mechanisms (the only means of complaint against a QUANGO is first of all to its 'parent body' or to the responsible Secretary of State). The CPPIH 'parent body' is DoH - as much use as complaining to the Gestapo about Hitler. Evidence of how much use a referral to the Secretary of State is that, in Sept 2004 I asked my constituency MP, Richard Bacon to register my concerns about the absence of Criminal Records Bureau checks on appointed PPI volunteers with the Secretary of State as per the protocols. He wrote back telling me: “....as you know I wrote to the Secretary of State on your behalf, but my letter was passed to the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health, to respond” As I have observed elsewhere - pointless circular incestuousness!!

!!! Volunteers (and PPI relies on thousands of volunteers) have no protections against:

whistleblowing - they are not included in the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. A fact confirmed by Public Concern at Work (ext link)

disability discrimination - they are not included in the Disability Discrimination Act and were completely unprotected until this year when a modicum of protection was introduced by the new DDA. In a letter to my constituency MP of 29.01.05. the Minister of State, Rosie Winterton said: “Mr Cox raised the issue of the rights of PPI volunteers under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). He asked about the possibility of introducing an amendment to the Disability Discrimination Bill (DDB) currently before Parliament to afford them and others like them protection. It is true that most volunteers are not currently covered under the DDA. However, patients' Forum members will be afforded cover under the new clause two of the DDB. Clause two covers, with some exceptions, functions of public authorities not already covered under the DDA, making it unlawful for a public authority, without justification, to discriminate against a disabled person when exercising its functions. This would cover the CPPIH in its functions of appointing members to Forums and providing them with support.”

disciplinary proceedings - they have no trade union rights and, for instance, no independent appeal system such as an Employment Tribunal (see Volunteer misuse). Rosie Winterton says (letter 29.01.05) “Volunteers do not have the same rights as employees because of employees’ contractual relationship with their employers” Well, we wouldn't have known that if she hadn't told us! But she offers nothing else on this subject except: “ The difference in relationship also means that volunteers can enjoy freedoms from contractual obligations not available to employees” Well yes! just leave; or better still, don't volunteer in the first place.

health and safety risks - there is some indirect provision in Section 3 of the health and Safety Act but monitoring and inspection for a QUANGO is, at best, uncertain and, for instance, volunteers have no trade union health and safety representatives.

complaints being lightly dismissed - there is no independent regulator. Complaints are only dealt with internally within CPPIH. Contrary to what CPPIH had told its volunteers, the Parliamentary Ombudsman (ext link) will not deal with a complaint if it is classed as a 'personnel matter'.

THE USE OF VOLUNTEERS IN PPI IS CLASSED AS A 'PERSONNEL MATTER'

These anomalies are probably breaches of Human Rights.

In at least one respect, the tranfer of responsibility for appointments to the NHS Appointments Commission (ext link) will be a forward step.The NHS Appointments Commission is accountable to The Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (ext link) which has a clear complaints policy

HOWEVER, on 21.06.05. the Department of Health annonced that the NHS Commission is itself to become an Arms Length Body (a QUANGO). Absolute madness since the ALB Review's purpose was to reduce the number of QUANGOs!! And, BEWARE. Does this look like a potential manoeuvre to avoid accountability?

THE MESSAGE IS OBVIOUS - DON'T VOLUNTEER FOR PPI UNTIL THESE ANOMALIES HAVE BEEN RESOLVED.

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