Judging by who David Nicholson has just chosen to be his number two, the Mail’s Man With No Shame nickname seems pretty apt. Let’s take a look at Dame Barbara Hakin’s CV:

• Paid £70,000 a year as national managing director of the NHS Commissioning Board.
• Reported to have forked out £500,000 for a gagging order to silence United Lincolnshire hospital trust, where 670 patients died needlessly.
• Believed to have quashed a report investigating why so many had died at the trust.
• Promoted to interim deputy chief executive of body in charge of the NHS, deputy to David Nicholson.

Sounds like the perfect candidate, then. Tory MP Philip Davies has slammed the appointment, telling Guido this morning:

“Given all that has happened in recent weeks this appears to be a bizarre appointment which sticks two fingers up to NHS patients’ but is business as usual for the people who are bringing the NHS into disrepute.”

Hard to argue…