Volunteer Trustee

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre; Elland; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading charity organization in the UK is seeking a Trustee to join their Board of Trustees. The role involves providing strategic leadership, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, and promoting the organization within the community. Candidates should have experience in governance and a commitment to the charity's mission of delivering exceptional care for those with life-limiting illnesses. This is a volunteer position with reimbursement for travel expenses.

Qualifications

• Experience in governance and strategic leadership.
• Ability to act as an ambassador for the charity within the community.
• Strong understanding of legal and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities

• Guide the strategic direction and sound governance of the organization.
• Support the leadership team in delivering exceptional care.
• Promote the charity's goals and values publicly.

Job description

Role Title

Trustee (member of the Board of Trustees)

Responsible to

Chair of the Board of Trustees

Key Relationships

Board of Trustees, Chief Executive, Senior Leadership Team

Overview of Overgate Hospice

Overgate Hospice is an independent local charity providing specialist palliative and end‑of‑life care for adults with life‑limiting conditions. The Hospice was founded by two doctors, Brian Quinn and Geoffrey Hyman, who led community fundraising efforts in the 1970s. Our home on Hullen Edge Road was generously donated by Mrs Sylvia Graucob MBE, whose vision and philanthropy helped establish the hospice as a cornerstone of compassionate care in Calderdale.

Today, Overgate Hospice continues to build on this strong foundation. We provide in‑patient care within our 12‑bed unit, day hospice services, and holistic support through our Patient and Family Support Team — comprising social workers, complementary therapists, counsellors, a chaplain, occupational therapist, diversional therapist, and physiotherapist.

Beyond our clinical services, we operate a network of local charity shops and deliver a wide range of fundraising events and community activities throughout the year. We are currently in the middle of a major capital appeal to support the construction of a new, purpose‑built inpatient unit and repurposed Day Hospice that will ensure we can continue to meet the needs of our community for years to come.

The Hospice employs around 207 dedicated staff and is supported by more than 700 volunteers who contribute their time, expertise, and compassion across all areas of our work. Together, we are united in our commitment to providing outstanding care, comfort, and dignity to local people and their families at the most challenging times of their lives.

As a Trustee of Overgate Hospice, you will play a vital role in guiding the strategic direction of the organisation, ensuring sound governance, and safeguarding the charity’s values and long‑term sustainability. Trustees help to shape the future of the Hospice, supporting our leadership team to deliver exceptional care and to realise our vision for the new inpatient unit and beyond.

Our Mission

To ensure that our patients and those close to them live with the best possible quality of life. We do this by providing the highest standard of compassionate and evidence‑based specialist palliative and end‑of‑life care for adults in Calderdale who have active, progressive, life‑limiting conditions.

Our philosophy of Care

Our care is centred on the patient. We respect individuality and their rights to privacy and dignity. We care for the whole person – their physical, emotional, spiritual, social needs and goals. This includes support for their families and carers through the illness and into bereavement.

We value

• The support of our community, without which we could not raise the funds necessary to provide care. We value every penny raised. The contribution and diversity of our staff and volunteers Partnership and collaboration with other health and social care professionals – the patient has the best experience when we work together. A culture of learning and continuous improvement, teamwork, professionalism, honesty, inclusiveness, and kindness. Feedback that helps us to learn and improve.

Role Purpose

• To act as an ambassador for Overgate within the Community, portraying a positive image and supporting the key messages at all times.
• To provide strategic leadership, maintaining a clear sense of the big picture and not getting lost in detail.
• To ensure the Charity acts in an effective, responsible, and accountable manner and complies with all legal and regulatory requirements.
• As a key member of the Overgate team to help stretch and support the Senior Leadership Team, providing healthy challenge as required.
• To work collaboratively in helping to improve services in line with our mission, values, and philosophy of care.

Remuneration

The role of the Trustee is not accompanied by any financial remuneration although expenses for travel may be claimed.

Time commitment

Trustees must ensure:

• They are fully prepared for Board and Sub‑committee meetings.
• Attend and contribute to a minimum of 70% of Board meetings, except in exceptional circumstances. There are currently six Board meetings per year which commence in the early evening.
• Contribute expertise to at least one sub‑committee and attend a minimum of 70% of meetings, except in exceptional circumstances.
• Assist the Board and senior staff in promoting Overgate’s goals and values and represent the Board’s agreed position when speaking publicly on behalf of Overgate.

Term of Office

Trustees will usually serve a maximum of three terms of three years, but the Board has discretion to support the re‑election of trustees who are contributing fully to continue to serve for a longer period.

Key responsibilities

Trustees are both directors and trustees of Overgate and as such must act within the provisions of the governing document and comply with Company and Charity law.

Trustees have and must accept ultimate responsibility for directing the affairs of the Charity, (both service delivery and fund raising) and ensuring that it is solvent, well‑run, and delivering the charitable outcomes for the benefit of patients with life‑limiting illnesses and their families.

Trustees should work collaboratively to share their skills and experience and to make an important contribution to our strategic direction and continuous improvement.

Duties and Responsibilities

Compliance

• Ensure that Overgate complies with charity law, and with the requirements of the Charity Commission as regulator; in particular ensure that the Charity prepares reports on what it has achieved and annual returns and accounts as required by law. Ensure that Overgate does not breach any of the requirements or rules set out in its Articles of Association and that it remains true to the charitable purpose and objects set out there. Comply with the requirements of other legislation and other regulators that govern the activities of the Charity – this includes a range of laws, the Care Quality Commission, General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council. Act with integrity and avoid any personal conflicts of interest or misuse of charity funds or assets.

Duty of prudence

• Ensure that Overgate is and will remain solvent and maintain proper financial control. Monitor the performance of Overgate against standards, to ensure provision of the highest quality of care, balanced with the effective, efficient, and economic use of resources and assets. Use charitable funds and assets reasonably, and only in the furtherance of Overgate’s objectives. Avoid undertaking activities that might place the Charity’s endowment, funds, assets, or reputation at undue risk. Take special care when investing the funds of the Charity or borrowing funds for the Charity to use.

Duty of care

• Use reasonable care and skill during trustee activities, using personal skills and experience to ensure the Charity is well‑run and efficient. Consider obtaining external advice on all matters where there may be a material risk to Overgate, or where trustees may be in breach of their duties.

Collective responsibility

• Trustees have collective responsibility for the decisions taken by the Board, whether or not they are present at a meeting and/or if they disagree/concur with a decision made by the majority. Trustees are also responsible for contributing to discussion and debate before a Board decision is made. They have collective responsibility to support and carry out the decision.

Conflicts of interest/loyalty

• Trustees must declare any conflicts of interest/loyalty in Board or Sub‑committee business. Where possible, the matter should be raised with the Chair before the meeting. Depending on the issue, the Chair and/or Board members should determine whether the Trustee can contribute to discussion or leave the room during discussion and until a decision is made.

Confidentiality

• Trustees should maintain confidentiality about matters discussed in Board and Sub‑committee meetings.

Code of conduct

• Act within the governing document and the law – being aware of the contents of Overgate’s governing document and the law as it applies to Overgate.
• Be accountable – for their decisions and actions to the public, funders and service users and must submit themselves to what scrutiny is appropriate to their role.
• Act in the best interest of Overgate as a whole – considering what is best for the organisation and its beneficiaries and avoiding bringing it into disrepute.
• Behave with integrity – and not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might seek to influence them in the performance of their role. As well as avoiding actual impropriety, avoid any appearance of improper behaviour.
• Manage conflicts of interest effectively – registering, declaring, and resolving conflicts of interest. Not gaining materially or financially unless specifically authorised to do so.
• Respect confidentiality – understanding what confidentiality means in practice for Overgate, its service users, Board and the individuals involved with it.
• Have a sound and up to date knowledge of Overgate and its environment – understanding how it works and the environment within which it operates.
• Attend meetings and other appointments or give apologies – considering other ways of engaging with the organisation if regularly being unable to attend trustee meetings.
• Prepare fully for meetings and all work for Overgate – reading papers, querying anything they don’t understand and thinking through issues in good time before meetings.
• Actively engage in discussion, debate and voting in meetings – contribute positively, listening carefully, challenging sensitively, and avoiding conflict.
• Act jointly and accept a majority decision – making decisions collectively, standing by them and not acting individually unless specifically authorised to do so.
• Work considerately and respectfully with all – respecting diversity, different roles and boundaries and avoiding giving offence.
• Show leadership – promote and support the principles of leadership by example.