Job description

As a Non-Executive Director, you will be expected to:

  • be accountable for ensuring that the Trust has a robust Quality Governance Framework and that the Trust and the Board are receiving, scrutinising and acting on a broad range of quality and patient safety indicators to underpin the delivery of high quality services at all levels across the Trust’s services.
  • be satisfied as to the integrity of financial, clinical and other  information, and that financial and clinical quality controls and systems of risk management are robust and defensible.
  • determine the appropriate levels of remuneration of Executive Directors, and taking a prime role in appointing and, where necessary, removing Executive Directors, and in succession planning.
  • develop and maintain good relationships with the Council of Governors and external stakeholders including commissioners and local authorities.

The person appointed must be a public member of the Trust.

Time commitment:

Non-Executive Directors normally devote an average of 4 days a month to their responsibilities, or such time as is reasonably necessary to undertake Trust business. This may be during the working day or in the evening.

Non-Executive Directors are normally appointed for an initial period of three years.

Appointments are renewable at the end of the first period of office subject to performance and the needs of the Trust. A degree of change is often sought on Boards and there should therefore be no expectation of automatic reappointment.

Remuneration:

Non-Executive Directors receive remuneration of £13,000 per annum under a Service Agreement which is taxable under Schedule E, and subject to Class I National Insurance contributions; it is not pensionable under the NHS Pension Scheme.

Non-Executive Directors are also eligible to claim allowances for travel and subsistence costs necessarily incurred on Trust business.

These posts are statutory offices and are not subject to the provisions of employment law. Non-Executive Directors are not employees of the Trust.

All Directors of NHS Boards are required, on appointment, to subscribe to the Trust Code of Conduct.

Non-Executive Directors must demonstrate high standards of corporate and personal conduct which will be assess in line with CQC ‘Fit and Proper Persons’ requirements through references, a DBS check, insolvency check and the disqualified directors register at Companies House.

Non-Executive Directors are required to declare any conflict of interest that arises in the course of Board business together with any relevant business interests, positions of authority or other connections with commercial, public or voluntary bodies. These are published in the annual report with details of all Board Members’ remuneration from NHS sources.

Members of the Board who act honestly and in good faith will not have to meet out of their personal resources any personal civil liability which is incurred in the execution or purported execution of their Board functions, save where they have acted recklessly. Any cost arising in this way will be met by the Trust.

The Trust may make any arrangements considered appropriate for the provision of indemnity insurance or similar arrangement for the benefit of the Trust, Council of Governors or Directors to meet all or any liabilities which are properly the liabilities of the Trust as described above.

“Very supportive – made a huge change to my life and has taught me skills that I will continue to use.”

– Patient’s comment in the Friends and Family Test