Concern over non-executive directors'workload

The NHS appointments commission is to tackle health secretary Alan Milburn on the growing workload of non-executive directors, commissioner Sir William Wells said.'We are concerned about the five days a month [the time commitment for non-executive directors].We are going to be making a case to the health secretary... we are concerned that, at the moment, it precludes people in full-time employment.'Sir William said the commission was worried non-executives 'expect them to do things that executives should be doing'.As well as overloading nonexecutive directors, this left them unable to deliver their core responsibilities: to support the executive team and to deliver the government's new agenda.