MKUH staff scored highest for ‘I look forward to coming to work’ (NHS Staff Survey 2023).

You can expect a warm welcome at Milton Keynes University Hospital, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours.  At MKUH we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:

• Free on-site parking
• Free tea and coffee
• Great flexible working opportunities
• Discounted gym membership
• Lease car scheme
• Generous annual leave and pension scheme
• On site nursery (chargeable)
• Extensive staff health and well-being programme

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital; we conduct research and teaching on site to improve the care of our patients. The hospital is undergoing significant investment, and we are proud to be rated good by the CQC. Visit our website to catch up on our latest news.

Job overview

We are looking for a Trust Chair who will play a crucial role in leading the unitary Board of Directors and the Council of Governors ensuring that they work together effectively to drive change in the Board whilst also ensuring the right balance between strategic and operational oversight. As Trust Chair, you would have a duty to uphold the highest standards of integrity and probity and to foster good relations in the boardroom. 

Our Trust Chair needs to demonstrate leadership to NHS England and effective governance and compliance, and the meeting of performance targets required by the trust and other external partners such as commissioners of services, NHS Improvement, the Care Quality Commission and other statutory bodies.

We are looking for a Trust Chair who will champion the best interests of our people, service users, patients and wider community. Our Trust Chair will also provide leadership and guidance to the Chief Executive, and the Board, and acting as a key link between the directors and the Council of Governors.

Main duties of the job

Our Trust Chair provides strategic leadership to the unitary Board of directors and play a full part in developing and determining our Trust’s vision, values, strategy and overall objectives. They role model and set clear expectations about our culture, values and behaviours including setting the style and tone of discussions at Board and Council of Governors' meetings.

Our Trust Chair will demonstrate and uphold the highest standards of probity, integrity and governance ensuring internal governance arrangements conform to best practice and statutory requirements. Providing effective leadership to the Council of Governors, ensuring it follows relevant legislation, the Trust’s Constitution, and the Foundation Trust’s License conditions, is crucial.

The ability to lead our Trust, in developing a healthy, open and transparent patient-centred culture where all staff have equality of opportunity to progress and feel confident to speak up is vital. Our Trust Chair must build, and role model, constructive working relationships based on candour, trust and mutual respect. We need your commitment to earn the respect and ongoing confidence of our patients, stakeholders and the public that their health and healthcare are in safe hands. The cultivation of a strong, collaborative relationship with the Chief Executive Officer is imperative as is developing strong partnerships with the public, private and voluntary sectors, regulators, and the wider NHS provider Chair community.

Working for our organisation

Our hospital was founded on 1 October 2007 under the National Health Service Act 2006. The hospital has approximately 550 beds, including day, acute and neonatal beds and employs over 4,430 staff who provide a full range of acute hospital services and an increasing number of specialist services to the growing population of Milton Keynes and surrounding areas. All in-patient services and most outpatient services are provided on the main hospital site, alongside some community provision.

The Trust is organised into four clinical divisions (Medicine, Surgery, Women & Children and Core Clinical) and several corporate directorates. The executive directors, and clinical service unit leadership teams, are responsible for the day-to-day management and running of the hospital's services, with ultimate management accountability resting with the Chief Executive Officer

Diversity and inclusion is very important to us. We are working to  ensure the people who work at MKUH reflect the diversity of the population we serve at every level of seniority and across all professions and roles. This is a key part of our ambition for #TeamMKUH being the best place to work for all of our people.

The Trust Chair leads a welcoming leadership team, made up of experienced directors and first Board post-holders. Our values - We Care, We Communicate, We Collaborate and We Contribute – are important to us and must resonate with you.