But in an organisation where the majority of staff are female, and which is pledged to overhaul its self-confessed outdated culture and practices, the male domination is a little unfortunate. I don't think it's a conspiracy. The pool of candidates that Nigel Crisp can choose from will consist predominantly of men. It is the latter post, with the unspoken assumption that only men can deal with the teams of arrogant male medical consultants found in acute trusts, which is traditionally seen as the essential training ground for the top departmental level management positions. Women want to focus on getting the job done as best they can.
Men focus on career progression, and have a much greater 'political' awareness.
For years the NHS has been striving to increase the numbers of women in top management positions, but although several high fliers have made it to trust and health authority chief executive status, few have made it to the very top. Ms Stocking was for years the great female hope, the only non-male NHS regional director. Alice Perkins, who recently left the senior echelons of the DoH for the cabinet office is another, although as a mandarin, she had little profile outside the Whitehall, and many became aware of her only when it was announced that Hugh Taylor would succeed her. The civil service admits that is will have great difficulty in meeting its target of opening on in three top jobs to highly qualified women. There are a number of women just below the top rung of the managerial ladder in the DoH. Two of them are deputy chief medical officers, Pat Troop and Sheila Adam.