Job summary
- Main area
- Healthcare
- Grade
- Executives / VSM: Executives / VSM
- Contract
- Fixed term: 3 years (Initial Term)
- Hours
- Part time - 2 to 3 days per week
- Job ref
- 390-COR-MSE-0365
- Employer
- Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- MSE
- Town
- Basildon
- Salary
- £60,000 Per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 13/01/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Mid and South Essex NHS Trust Chair
Executives / VSM: Executives / VSM
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is now one of the largest trusts in the country, serving a population of 1.2 million people comprising acute hospital sites at Broomfield in Chelmsford, Basildon and Southend.
We are a well-led, high-performing and innovative organisation determined to provide the best health care services for our local population and working in the best interests of the people we serve.
Job overview
The Trust Chair will play a pivotal role in the success of the Trust, leading both the Board of Directors and the Council of Governors and ensuring they work effectively together.
The Board of Directors is collectively responsible for agreeing the strategic direction of the organisation and for the performance of the NHS Foundation Trust. Working closely with the Chief Executive, the Chair should satisfy themselves that high standards of patient care and governance are being delivered, resources are being used effectively within appropriate financial controls and the Board is values driven, demonstrating an inclusive culture and high levels of probity.
The Council of Governors represents the interests of the Trust’s members, the public and partner organisations and holds the Non-Executive Directors individually and collectively to account for the performance of the Board of Directors. The Council of Governors have statutory powers and duties as set out in the NHS Act 2006 and the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and it is the responsibility of the Trust Chair to ensure governors are able to fulfil these duties. The Trust Chair is the Trust’s ambassador within the local community as well as its representative at a regional and national level. The Trust Chair is expected to set clear expectations concerning the Trust’s culture, values and behaviours, including setting the style and tone of discussions at Board and Council meetings.
Main duties of the job
The Chair will be responsible for:
- Ensuring that all Board members uphold the values of the Trust
- Leading the Board in setting the strategic direction of the Trust
- Reviewing plans and performance against Trust objectives
- Ensuring license conditions and other regulatory standards are met
- Ensuring the Board identifies the key risks the Trust faces implementing its strategy
- Providing visible leadership in developing a healthy, open and transparent patient-centred culture for the organisation
- Developing effective working relationships within the organisation and with external partners and stakeholders
- Leading and supporting a constructive dynamic within the Board and Council
- Providing leadership to the Council of Governors and ensuring that it discharges its statutory powers and duties
- Ensuring the Council of Governors has the means and support for effective communication with Members and with the Trust’s wider constituency
- Chairing the Non-Executive Director Remuneration and Appointment Committee (NEDRAC) and the Remuneration and Nominations Committee (REMNOM).
Working for our organisation
With a workforce of approximately 17,000 staff, we can now do more and go further in delivering health services to our local communities.
Our ambition is to deliver excellent local and specialist services, to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients, and provide a vibrant place for staff to develop, innovate and build careers.
Patients will experience improved care as well as fewer delays and cancellations. We are able to provide more once-in-a-lifetime specialist care region-wide. With our new trust size will come more opportunities for development, research, networking and innovation.
We aim to make the most of our skills and experiences so we can become the best we can be. As one organisation we will recruit the finest and retain more specialist staff due to more employment opportunities across our Trust.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Chair will be responsible for:
- Leading and supporting a constructive dynamic within the Board and Council, enabling grounded debate with contributions from all
- Promoting the highest standards of ethics, integrity, probity and corporate governance throughout the organisation
- Ensuring that constructive relationships based on candour, trust and mutual respect exist between Executive directors, Non-Executive directors and governors
- Ensuring the Board has the right balance and diversity of skills, knowledge and perspectives
- Ensuring that effective communication with stakeholders create board and governor debate encompassing diverse views
- Setting an integrated Board agenda relevant to the Trust’s current operating environment, taking account of the important strategic issues and key risks it faces.
- Ensuring that the Board receives accurate, high quality, timely and clear information, that the related assurance systems are fit for purpose and that there is a good flow of information between the board, its committees, the council and senior management.
- Ensuring the provision of accurate timely information to the Council of Governors
- Ensuring the Board, the Council and their Committees are properly constituted and effective
- Fostering a culture of innovation and learning
- Ensuring the Board maintains an unrelenting interest in and focus on the continuous improvement and self-assessment of patient safety, experience and clinical outcomes
Person specification
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Understanding of the Trust and the services it provides, its local communities, health inequalities and financial challenges
- Political acumen, with the ability to grasp relevant issues and understanding relationships between interested parties.
- Ability to understand complex strategic issues, analyse and resolve complex problems.
- Understanding of the NHS political environment and the external environment in which it operates.
- An understanding and interest in health and social care issues
- Awareness and understanding of the requirements of the NHS operating environment as set down by NHS England and CQC.
Experience
Essential criteria
- At least two years’ experience of working at Board level or equivalent in a comparable large, complex, changing organisation, in either the service industry, the health or social care or local government sector, or the third sector
- Non-Executive Director experience.
- Experience of active networking and commitment to community issues, such as equality and diversity and tackling inequalities
- Experience of effectively chairing complex meetings in person, and via remote access such as MS Teams or Zoom.
- Proven track record of successfully leading innovative change and service improvements and have the strategic vision to lead a first-class organisation as part of a wider partnership.
- Strong performance management, financial and risk management acumen
Desirable criteria
- Previous experience of working as a Chair of a Board of Directors in a large health care organisation.
- Experience of working as a Board member in a large healthcare organisation.
Skills and Personal Attributes
Essential criteria
- A strong commitment to patient care, staff engagement and partnership/collaborative working with a wide range of stakeholders.
- Strong leadership and negotiation skills.
- A capable public speaker being able to manage the media and represent the Trust.
- A proven negotiator with an understanding of the wider implications of decisions.
- A good listener being able to demonstrate sound judgement, tact and diplomacy
- Effective influencing and communication skills with a high level of ability to gain support and influence, both internally and externally.
- A champion of equality, diversity and inclusion
- A promoter of an open and transparent culture focusing on continuous learning and improvement
- Demonstrating the highest standards of conduct as set out in Nolan principles.
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Post-graduate / masters level qualification or equivalent level of senior management experience
- Evidence of continuing professional / personal development.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Lauren Barnard
- Job title
- Executive Director of Corporate Governance
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07514225647
- Additional information
For CV submissions, please email the document to [email protected]
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