THE ANDREW DAVIDSON INTERVIEW: Nigel Crisp

Donnish and amiable, the NHS's boss nevertheless has a conviction and expertise that could transform the state monolith - Europe's biggest employer - into a model of cellular efficiency, if he can lure the right managerial talent. A man who likes a challenge, then ...

Who'd be boss of the NHS? 'Well,' says Nigel Crisp, smiling softly, 'my father's line was to offer me commiserations and point out that the only person with a worse job was the chairman of Railtrack ...'

And look what happened to him. Crisp heaves a little laugh and then gazes wanly out from behind steel-rimmed specs. He goes on: 'Of course, I got this line again last week at a breakfast meeting with the Conservatives. The only job worse than mine, they said, was IDS's, running the Tory party, yunno?'