The Panel, established at the request of the Drinkaware trustees, will be chaired by Sir Hugh Taylor, chairman of the Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and former Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health.
The other Members of the Panel are: Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance Professor; Jeremy Beadles, corporate relations director for Heineken UK and former chief cxecutive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association; Chris Heffer, deputy director for alcohol and drugs at the Department of Health, and Ben Page, chief executive of market research company Ipsos MORI.
The appointment of the Panel is an important part of the review of Drinkaware and its plans which is taking place this year.
The audit will evaluate Drinkaware’s effectiveness in meeting its original objectives, which were to increase awareness of alcohol harm, improve attitudes and positively change behaviour.
Chairman of the Panel, Sir Hugh Taylor, said: “This is a timely moment to carry out an independent audit of Drinkaware’s effectiveness.
“The panel’s role is to provide assurance that the audit is comprehensive, takes on board the views of key stakeholders and other key experts and is properly independent; and I believe it is well constituted for that purpose.”
Derek Lewis, chairman of Drinkaware, said: “The establishment of this independent Panel, whose members will bring wide experience and deep understanding of the issues involved, is evidence of the trustees’ commitment to ensuring that the current review is rigorous, inclusive and transparent.
“The trustees are very grateful to the members for making their time available for this important task.”
For more information about the Panel please visit www.independentreview.org.uk