Non-Executive Director

Contract Fixed term: 3 years (Non-Executive Directors will generally be appointed for an initial period of office of 3 years)

Hours

• Part time
• Other

Job ref: 297-6621119-A

Employer: Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust

Employer type: NHS

Site: Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Town: Gateshead

Salary: £13,715 per annum

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 25/04/2025 23:59

Employer heading

NHS Non-Executive: NHS Trust Non-Executive Member/Director

In the event of excessive applications being received this vacancy may close earlier than the stated closing date, you are encouraged to submit your application as soon as possible.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON COMPLETION OF REFERENCE SECTION OF APPLICATION FORM

All references from current and previous employers will be sought and MUST cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Where possible this should be from two separate employers. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed.

PLEASE NOTE: it is a requirement of this Trust that all successful applicants pay for their DBS certificate if a check is required for the post. This will be done through deduction from your monthly pay over a maximum of three months. It is also a requirement that all successful applicants register or are registered with the DBS update service where a DBS is required.

All new entrants to the NHS will be appointed on the minimum of the pay scale in line with Terms & Conditions.

Job Overview

We are seeking two Non-Executive Directors to complement our existing Board Members, using their skills and experiences to help us to achieve our ambitions and strategy.

Of the two Non-Executive Directors we are seeking, one must have significant skills and experience in relation to digital technology. We recognise the importance of digital as a key enabler to transformation, productivity and clinical outcomes. This has been identified as one of the three areas of focus for the Great North Healthcare Alliances Joint Committee and we are passionate about ensuring that we make a valuable contribution to this work to benefit our patients, colleagues and partners. The digital Non-Executive Director will chair our Digital Committee.

In the context of limited resources and significant financial challenges within the Trust and across the wider NHS, there is a need for all organisations to focus on being as efficient and effective as possible, delivering value for money whilst striving to continue to enhance the quality of services. From our second Non-Executive Director position, we are therefore looking for a qualified accountant who can chair our Group Audit Committee and help us to ensure that our control environment is strong.

To ensure that the patient perspective is appropriately represented, we are encouraging candidates who can demonstrate direct involvement with a wide range of diverse communities.

Main duties of the job

As a Non-Executive Director, you will work alongside the Chair, other Non-Executive Directors and Executive Directors of the Trust as a full member of the Board. You will be individually and collectively accountable with the other Directors for the success of the organisation and will have the responsibility to constructively challenge the decisions of the Board and help develop proposals on priorities, risk mitigation, values, standards and strategies.

To ensure that the patient perspective is appropriately represented, we are encouraging candidates who can demonstrate direct involvement with a wide range of diverse communities. Empathy for the experience of our service users and carers will be crucial along with an ability to engage with our dedicated staff, Governors, and members.

Non-Executive Director appointments are made by the Trust's Council of Governors taking into account local needs and the requirements of the Code of Governance for NHS Provider Trusts.

Non-Executive Directors are chosen for their breadth of experience, appropriate calibre and personal qualities.

A Non-Executive Director of the Trust, or any other NHS Foundation Trust, may not be or become a Governor of the Foundation Trust.

Note that Non-Executive Directors must be a member of one of the public constituencies of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust. Further information on our constituencies is included in the candidate information pack.

Working for our organisation

At Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust we provide a wide range of acute, community and older peoples mental health services to our local community and beyond. We also provide a range of specialist services including bowel screening for a population of around 7 million people and specialist gynaecological cancer treatments from the Scottish Borders through to Cumbria and Whitby.

We employ over 5,100 people and have over 400 hospital beds across the Gateshead area. We have an annual turnover of around £400 million and our wholly-owned subsidiary, QE Facilities, provides a wide range of high-quality services to the Trust and other NHS organisations.

Our philosophy is that to achieve the best patient care and outcomes we must be clinically-led and management supported; this is an integral part of our approach to everything we do.

We have three main strategic ambitions: to be a Northern Centre of Excellence for Women's Health; to be a leading provider of diagnostic services; and to be an outstanding district general hospital. We believe that by achieving these ambitions we will be able to make a valuable contribution to the healthcare of the people of Gateshead, but also to the wider North East and North Cumbria.

We are proud to be rated as good overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) at our last full inspection. Our maternity services were inspected in 2023 and we were delighted to be rated as good with a number of areas of outstanding practice highlighted.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

We are looking for one Non-Executive Director to be the Chair of the Group Audit Committee (whose remit covers both the Trust and QE Facilities, the subsidiary company). As Chair of the Group Audit Committee you will play a vital role in the coordination of focus of the internal audit, external audit and counter fraud resources to provide robust assurance to the Board on systems of internal control.

As a qualified accountant you will bring independent financial acumen to the work of the Group Audit Committee across its governance, risk management, assurance and internal control functions.

The Group Audit Committee plays a leading role in the review of year-end regulatory submissions for both the Trust, QE Facilities and the Charitable Fund, making recommendations to the respective Boards on whether documents including the annual accounts and annual report present a fair and accurate view.

As Chair of the Group Audit Committee you will develop a strong relationship with the Group Director of Finance and QE Facilities Director of Finance.

We are also seeking one Non-Executive Director who will chair the Digital Committee, using your digital skills and experience to contribute constructively, seeking assurance and providing a critical friend approach to help us to use digital technology to the best of our ability/resource to achieve the best outcomes for our patients, colleagues and the wider community.

Person specification

Qualifications & Skills

Essential criteria

• For the Group Audit Committee Chair role, qualified accountant with ongoing registration from a recognised accountancy body is essential.
• For the Digital Committee Chair role, significant skills and expertise in the field of digital technology is essential.
• A deeply-rooted commitment to the delivery of safe, high-quality, compassionate and joined-up care, and to its continuous improvement.
• Ability to fulfill fit and proper person requirements of the role.
• Sound knowledge of corporate governance.
• Clear understanding, and acceptance, of the legal duties, liabilities, and responsibilities of Non-Executive Directors.
• Politically astute, with the ability to grasp relevant issues and understand relationships between interested parties.
• Ability to understand complex strategic issues, analyse and resolve difficult problems.

Values

Essential criteria

• A commitment to NHS values and principles of NHS Foundation Trusts.
• Ability to work with and influence senior leaders in the NHS across all professional/management disciplines.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Proven leadership skills.
• Ability to work with and influence senior leaders across all professional/management disciplines.
• High level of understanding and interest in healthcare issues.
• Clear understanding, and acceptance, of the legal duties, liabilities, and responsibilities of Non-Executive Directors.
• Sufficient time and commitment to fulfil the role.

Desirable criteria

• The temperament, ability and experience to work at a Board level (previous Board-level experience is desirable, but not essential) as full support will be offered.
• Previous experience of chairing committees is desirable, but not essential as full support will be given.
• Awareness/willingness to develop an awareness of mass public health issues which may affect the Trust.

Applicants who have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date are to assume that their application has been unsuccessful.

Applications from job seekers who require Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications where the post is eligible.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement.

Candidates who require sponsorship are strongly advised to visit the UK Border Agency website and familiarise themselves with what is required.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.