Just when everyone thought things might be looking up, Dido Harding admits interest in top job at NHS England
- Reference: 1623070867
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/06/07/dido_harding_nhs_ceo/
- Source link:
[2]According to The Times , the exec has expressed an interest to various leaders in the healthcare sector. If selected, she would replace Sir Simon Stevens, who has served as CEO of the NHS in England since 2014 and leaves in July.
Speaking on [3]BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour this morning , Harding acknowledged she was considering applying for the job, but said she had not made a formal application yet.
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Harding is a controversial figure with a less-than-illustrious track record in both the public and private sector. During her tenure at TalkTalk, the company was [5]attacked by malicious actors who obtained the details of 156,959 user accounts, with an [6]estimated total financial cost of £60m and 100,000 customers choosing to take their business elsewhere .
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The attackers attempted unsuccessfully to blackmail Harding, demanding a sum of Bitcoin in exchange for not publishing the user details, which included bank account numbers and sort codes, as well as partial debit and credit card numbers. Three men were later convicted for their role in the attack.
TalkTalk was then [9]fined £400,000 by the Information Commissioner's Office , which slammed the company for its negligence when it came to "the basic principles of cyber security."
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The following year, again under Harding's watch, routers issued by TalkTalk [11]fell victim to the Mirai malware , which co-opts vulnerable embedded systems into a single vast botnet, which can then be used to perform distributed denial-of-service attacks. The incident caused connectivity issues for some users. TalkTalk was heavily criticised for its response, which was to immediately downplay the issue and tell users there was no need to change their default settings.
After leaving TalkTalk, Harding joined the NHS, serving as chair of NHS Improvement, which oversees all providers of NHS care. In 2020, she was tasked with leading the NHS Test and Trace programme, which was widely criticised for its ineffectiveness in tracking the spread of cases, and its effectiveness at shifting public funds into the pockets of [12]highly paid consultants .
[13]Consultants bag £375m for their role in developing the UK's faltering COVID-19 Test and Trace system
[14]MPs slam UK's £22bn Test and Trace programme for failing to provide evidence that it slows COVID pandemic
[15]Dominic Cummings: Health secretary's 'stupid' targets delayed building UK test and trace system to combat COVID
[16]NHS COVID-19 app update blocked by Apple, Google over location privacy fears
[17]NHS Digital hands Deloitte £51m contract for tech supporting UK COVID-19 testing without competition
[18]UK Test and Trace chief Dido Harding tries to convince MPs that £14m for canned mobile app was money well spent
A major point of contention was the contact-tracing app. Ignoring the advice of both Apple and Google, the NHS opted to create a system [19]based on a centralised model , which could have presented serious privacy concerns.
In practice, the centralised app was unworkable on a technical level. Without using the APIs provided by Apple and Google, it was forced to create its own framework for performing handshakes between mobile devices. These did not perform with the level of reliability and accuracy needed to effectively stem the flow of cases.
As this failure became more evident, the government gradually relegated its importance from being the thrust of the spear of the UK's contact-tracing effort to, as Harding put it, a " [20]cherry on top ." It later [21]created an app using the official Apple and Google APIs , but only after other countries had launched their own.
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NHS Test and Trace also performed phone-based contact tracing, as well as swab testing. Much of this legwork was outsourced to the private sector including Serco, G4S, and Deloitte. In March of this year, the Public Accounts Committee criticised the program for its [23]heavy reliance on consultants , with 2,500 used [24]each costing an average of £1,100 per day, and the highest-paid charging £6,624 .
Most importantly, the system failed to prevent multiple successive lockdowns, nor regions slipping from less-restrictive tiers into higher ones. To date, there have been [25]3.4 million cases in England and 112,000 deaths.
Speaking today on Woman's Hour , Harding defended her record. She said NHS Test and Trace played "a huge role in saving lives."
"No, it didn't single-handedly stop lockdowns, and the biggest learning is that it was never going to," she added. "The disease is such that it looks to be impossible to contain it only with testing and tracing."
She also declined to apologise for the perceived failures of the programme, saying she'd only apologise "for the science."
Harding's potential ascendency was poorly received in some quarters. David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, commented: "Dido Harding was in charge of the Test and Trace system that [26]cost £37bn – and Sage [Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies] said it had had 'minimal impact on transmission.' The idea that she should now be rewarded by being made head of the NHS is a dangerous joke," he said.
Labour Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the job should go to someone "with a proven track record of improving services for patients."
Others, including The Guardian have expressed alarm given Harding's closeness to Cambridge Analytica and its founder, Alexander Nix. The former TalkTalk CEO was previously interviewed by Nix about the potential for data analytics in the UK public sector.
The NHS is [27]proceeding with its plan to share anonymised data of GP patients in England with private entities. The [28]deadline to opt out is 23 June . ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2017/02/01/dido_of_carnage_steps_down_from_talktalk/
[2] https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dido-harding-eyes-role-as-head-of-nhs-sqzww3fb9
[3] https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_radio_fourfm
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YL5Cnvc20Agw9Ve16USitwAAAIM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2015/11/03/talktalk_incident_management_review/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2016/02/02/talktalk_hack_cost_60m_lost_100k_customers/
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YL5Cnvc20Agw9Ve16USitwAAAIM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YL5Cnvc20Agw9Ve16USitwAAAIM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2016/10/05/ico_finally_delivers_record_400k_fine_to_talktalk_over_breach/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YL5Cnvc20Agw9Ve16USitwAAAIM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2016/12/08/talktalk_routers_may_be_botnet_imperva_says/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/10/pac_test_and_trace/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/06/uk_test_and_trace_consultants/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/10/pac_test_and_trace/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/27/health_secretarys_targets_delayed_the/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2021/04/13/uk_covid_app/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/18/deloitte_51m_covid_testing/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/03/test_and_trace_not_waste_of_money_dido_harding/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2020/05/05/uk_coronavirus_app/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/12/test_and_trace_covid_19_briefing/
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2020/08/14/nhs_tracing_app_irish/
[22] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YL5Cnvc20Agw9Ve16USitwAAAIM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[23] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/06/uk_test_and_trace_consultants/
[24] https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/10/pac_test_and_trace/
[25] https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-daily-deaths/
[26] https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/10/pac_test_and_trace/
[27] https://www.theregister.com/2021/05/24/nhs_digital_gp_data_store/
[28] https://digital.nhs.uk/services/national-data-opt-out
[29] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Check with the Anti-Corruption Champion?
Should this be checked with the Prime Minister's Anti-Corruption Champion? This is currently John Penrose, Conservative MP for Weston-Super-Mare. And the husband of... Dido Harding.
In October 1995, she married John Penrose, who was elected MP for Weston-super-Mare in 2005 and went on to hold junior minister posts from 2010 to 2019 .... Penrose sits on the advisory board of a think tank called 1828, which calls for the NHS to be replaced by an insurance system and for Public Health England to be scrapped.
Dido, Queen of Carnage, should not be allowed anywhere near the NHS. Not only has she proven incompetent at every task she has undertaken since joining TalkTalk, but she is married to someone who wants to destroy the NHS. It takes a special kind of fuckwit to look at US healthcare and say "That looks good, let's have some of that over here".
It takes a special kind of person to be sure they will be well rewarded for delivering a private health service to their new bosses
She went to university with David Cameron (who created her a peer in 2014), she sits on the board of the Jockey Club (based in Matt Hancock's constituency) and happens to be married to the government's "anti-corruption champion", who is very publicly a director of a far-right-wing campaigning group who have loudly called for the privatisation of the NHS.
But of course it's her _experience_ that qualifies her for the job. Everything else is just coincidence!
Sometimes I think they keep following the drummer principle of Spinal Tap where previous experience seems to matter little.
Hang on! That gives me an idea: maybe Spinal Tap should offer her the position as drummer!
Thank you The Register for providing the data opt out link in the article. It was a good reminder for me to do my duty (and opt out)
Problem is that if too many people opt out, they'll cancel the program. Then restart it in a couple of years so that we all have to opt out all over again!
£37 billion
To be fair to Baroness Harding (which is not how I ever expected to start any sentence), the sum of £37 billion is what has been set aside rather than what has actually been spent. In her interview on 'Woman's Hour' (well worth a listen if you thought it would be a cushy option for Harding) she states that the main cost is the tests, and the more tests the greater the cost. She also said that she was asked by Boris Johnson to run test and trace, which kind of implies that she did not even have to apply and that there was no actual competition for the job.
To be accurate about Harding, she declined several offers to apologise for anything, denied that Test and trace could have been better (despite being given the examples of New Zealand, Australia and other significantly more effective systems) and denied that there was an existing NHS or local government test and trace capability in the UK when she started. Several emails were read out contradicting her position, which she really did not address.
So I grade Harding 9/10 for brazen arrogance, and 2/10 for reality. However, I rate the interviewer 10/10 for doing an excellent job.
(Oh, and as I sent an email to the Register's Mr Kunert about 40 minutes before broadcast I feel that I may, in some small way, have alerted them to the 'Woman's Hour' interview, as obviously they could not possibly have found out from any other source.)
Re: £37 billion
>the sum of £37 billion is what has been set aside rather than what has actually been spent
This is entirely correct (and what she will say) but it has to be stated equally in fairness that this cost is dominated by the strategic decisions (i.e. her decisions) to run the whole thing centrally rather than via local public health directorates, with contact tracing farmed out to Capita/TLC et al and with testing for some reason farmed out to Deloitte and co.
There's also a reasonable argument to be had we tested too much and in the wrong ways, for example by spending significantly on lateral flow tests in the community rather than at the border.
The same strategic decisions that stopped T&T from being effective are the same ones that drove the costs out of control.
Re: £37 billion
“…the sum of £37 billion is what has been set aside rather than what has actually been spent. ”
So it’ll probably end up somewhere around the £100 billion mark in the final accounting then?
I still cant read...
Dido Harding without a snigger.
She's a friend of BoJo the clown so will probably get the job no questions asked or other people interviewed.
Not to self
Do NOT get sick while visiting the UK if she gets the job!
Re: Not to self
Well, it's NHS England so the rest of the UK should be fine. If you fall ill in England don't head to a hospital, get on a train to Scotland.
Test and Trace started a bit of a mess here too, but our nurses and health care workers got a 4% raise and a covid bonus rather the 1% rise/real terms cut in England.
Re: Not to self
Good idea, but that would rely on this government having not fucked up the rail network.
If only...
... someone could dig up an old tweet or blog posting where she expressed some sort of dubious or poorly expressed opinion on a matter of current interest. That might just sink her... nothing else seems to :-)
Re: If only...
Or, given her general knowledge of IT security, just send her an email with the subject line "You have been selected for the role of NHS CEO", a flimsy email body encouraging her to click a link for details, directing to a mock-up gov login page asking for her social media credentials.
She'll be publishing all sorts of questionable stuff to social media within hours, I'd wager.
Re: If only...
Well that's just not cricket
"The idea that she should now be rewarded by being made head of the NHS..."
Nobody, however competent in the past, should be rewarded by being given a new appointment. Appointments should be made solely on the basis of expectation of future performance. Obviously though, past performance can be an indicator.
expectations
According to the Graun she claimed of test and trace that "expectations were set too high”.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jun/07/dido-harding-defends-test-and-trace-and-says-expectations-too-high
I would say that 38 billion quid buys quite a lot of expectation.
-A.
Dido Harding admits interest in top job at NHS England
Two potential reasons, she's fucked up her current job so bad that no amount of covering up will keep the lid down and it's going to blow, but not when she's around. Or, the new job pays better. Well... probably both.
Dido Harding
That bitch truly is Teflon coated
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Just no.
Not THAT incompetent.
In fine tradition?
Rising to the level of one's incompetence is an expectation instilled early on in life for such as this 'Baroness'.
The point being, she and those around her (e.g. Cameron, Johnson, and many others born with well-developed sense of entitlement) are mutually supportive in recognising each other's incompetence and helping them on their upward path. This is to their collective benefit because the nearer to the pinnacle one gets the greater the risk of exposure as a fraud. Why else has Johnson surrounded himself by such a bunch of prats?
This suitably undistinguished woman who in no sense would be regarded a 'lady' other than by ill-applied 'ennoblement' has qualities defined by their absence ensuring continuing rise in the stagnant pond she inhabits. Everyone knows what is to be found on the surface of stagnant ponds.
No! Just no!
There is nothing else to say really.