From 1982 to 1994, Bland was chairman of the Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte's Hospitals NHS special health authority, subsequently chairing Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, including Charing Cross Hospital, from 1994 to February 1997. He was knighted for his work in the National Health Service in 1993. He was Chairman of the BBC Board of Governors between 1996 and 2001. He was Chairman of the Royal Shakespeare Company between 2004–2011, during which time the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford upon Avon was rebuilt at a cost of around £113 million.