The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust consists of a 600 bedded hospital which provides the full range of acute and specialist services. It has its main site on the Countess of Chester Health Park and a 64-bedded Intermediate Care Service hospital in Ellesmere Port which is a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility. In January 2022, the Trust also took on a lease for Tarporley War Memorial Hospital which is used as a base for community-based services to serve the local rural population.

To complement the existing skill set of its existing Non-Executive Directors, the Trust is now looking for two new appointments to join the Board; one with a clinical background (in any relevant health or care profession) with leadership experience gained at board or equivalent level. Strong quality governance experience will be essential. The second will ideally have a background in HR/People/Organisational Development Service. Both roles require a commitment to Trust values.

To apply, candidates need to come from either:

• A clinical and/or health/care professional background and will also ideally have senior management/leadership experience gained at board level
• An HR/People/Organisational Development background and will also ideally have senior management/leadership experience gained at board level

Both candidates are also likely to be able to demonstrate a genuine interest in the local and National Health Service agenda.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust values and promotes diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity for all and appointments made on merit. It believes that the best boards are those which reflect the communities they serve. The Trust particularly welcomes applications from women, people from the local black and minority ethnic communities, and disabled people who they know are under-represented in chair and non-executive roles. Recruitment processes are conducted in accordance with the Code of Governance to ensure that they are made on merit after a fair and open process so that the best people, from the widest possible pool of candidates, are appointed.

As a member of a unitary Board, there is a shared and collective responsibility amongst all the Directors for the overall strategic direction and performance of the Trust. As Non-Executive Director, you will work alongside other Non-Executive Directors and Executive Directors as an equal member of the Board. You will share responsibility with other Directors for the decisions made by the Board and form the success of the organisation in leading the local improvement of healthcare services.

All of the Board members are required to work collaboratively and also to provide constructive challenge as necessary. Drawing on your professional and personal experience, you will provide creative and innovative contributions to the Board through independent oversight and constructive challenge and support.

The Trust needs diverse, inclusive, and compassionate leaders who not only reflect the community it serves and the staff employed, but have the leadership style and breadth of perspective to make good collective decisions.

The Directors must satisfy themselves as to the appropriateness and integrity of the information that comes to the Board and the efficacy of the controls and systems in place to ensure the good governance of the Trust. The Non-Executive Directors bring fresh perspectives to governance, reflecting their wider experience and skill sets acquired outside the Trust.

Non-Executive Directors have a particular role in working with the Council of Governors which, in turn, is responsible for holding the Non-Executive Directors (both individually and collectively) to account for the performance of the Board. In practice, this requires the Non-Executive Directors to work with and be visible to the Council of Governors in the performance of their role as Non- Executive Directors.

Non-Executive Directors may also be involved in supporting work streams such as Ward Accreditations and acting as champions for work such as Freedom to Speak Up and the Green Agenda.

Key responsibilities include:    

• Act as a Non-Executive Director, providing independent judgement and advice, whilst working as a fully committed collaborative member of a unitary Board
• Provide clinical and/or health/care professional OR People/Workforce/OD expertise and advice.
• Support and work with Board Directors to develop the Trust’s strategic aims and strategy
• Ensure that a patient-centred approach is at the forefront of all Board activities, and which
• ensures patient safety and quality of services
• Provide appropriate challenge and support (in equal measure) in Board decision-making, with the intention of providing sufficient rigour and challenge (delivered in an appropriate manner) which seeks to improve the effectiveness of the decision-making
• Demonstrate in behaviours the key values of the public sector of openness and transparency
• Always act as an ambassador for the Trust, upholding its values and promoting its work
• Representing the Board in a range of settings including committees, regulation activity, external meetings, and engagement events

Please see the candidate pack for core criteria and how it will be assessed.

To complement the skill set of the existing Non-Executive Directors, the two appointees are likely to come from:    

• A clinical and/or health/care professional background and will also ideally have senior management/leadership experience gained at Board level.        
• A HR/People/Organisational Development background and will also ideally have senior management/leadership experience gained at Board leveL  

Both are also likely to be able to demonstrate a genuine interest in the local and National Health Service agenda.    

To succeed in this role, candidates will need:

• A strong commitment to the NHS and interest in healthcare issues, both local and national, and mindful of the NHS Constitution.
• A strong commitment to corporate governance and public service values as enshrined by the Nolan principles.
• Demonstrable experience of holding a senior role in a high performing, large and complex organisation.
• Well-developed inter-personal and communication skills to be able to quickly establish relationships and the confidence of the trust’s many stakeholders.
• Experience / understanding of how to achieve positive change by building high performance cultures to deliver efficient and effective outputs.
• The ability to work collaboratively as part of a team, whilst questioning and challenging as required.
• Well-developed political acumen.
• Time, energy and enthusiasm.
• The full range of candidates’ achievements and experience will be taken into account, to ensure the best balance of knowledge and skills within the Board.

Candidates will share and have a commitment to the values of the Trust. Specifically, the Trust is committed to achieving continuous improvement in the safety and quality of all its patient services and its vision to deliver NHS care locally that makes its staff and community proud.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust values and promotes diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity for all and appointments made on merit. It believes that the best boards are those which reflect the communities they serve. The Trust particularly welcomes applications from women, people from the local black and minority ethnic communities, and disabled people who they know are under-represented in chair and non-executive roles. Recruitment processes are conducted in accordance with the Code of Governance to ensure that they are made on merit after a fair and open process so that the best people, from the widest possible pool of candidates, are appointed.

Please note that all applicants will need to complete the Diversity Monitoring Form and review the NED Candidate Brief when submitting their application.

The Board is accountable to its membership through the Foundation Trust's Council of Governors, which is comprised of appointed Governors, elected Staff Governors and elected Public Governors. Governors have an important role to play as it is through them that the population served by the Foundation Trust is directly involved in influencing the strategic direction of the Trust which has around 11000 members.

The Board of Directors has ultimate responsibility for the leadership and direction of the Trust. The Foundation Trust's performance and compliance is regulated by the NHS. Compliance with national service standards is also reviewed and rated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQCs last inspection in June 2022 gave us an overall rating of ‘requires improvement’. The Board accepted the findings of the CQC. However, we are committed to delivering an improvement in the safety and quality of all our patient services and continue to address the concerns raised in their report.

The Executive Directors are:

• Acting Chief Executive: Jane Tomkinson
• Director of Nursing & Quality: Hilda Gwilliams 
• Medical Director: Dr Nigel Scawn
• Chief Operating Officer: Cathy Chadwick 
• Chief Finance Officer: Simon Holden
• Chief People Officer: Nicola Price
• Chief Digital Information Officer: Vacant

The Non- Executive Directors are: 

Chair: Ian Haythornthwaite Non-Executive Director: Michael Guymer Non-Executive Director: Ros Fallon Non-Executive Director: Paul JonesNon-Executive Director: David Williamson Non-Executive Director: Ken Gill Non-Executive Director: Pamela Williams

Time commitments

This is currently three days per month. This may be during the working day or in the evening. All members of the Board of Directors are required to attend the regular formal and informal meetings of the Board. Attendance at Council of Governors will also be required. Membership/Chairmanship of Board Committees as requested by and agreed with the Trust Chair. Each of the Board Committees (Quality & Safety, Finance & Performance, Audit, and People & OD) meets six times per year. You may also be required to attend development/training as part of your role.

Tenure

This appointment will be for an initial period of three years subject to annual performance reviews.

Remuneration

The remuneration payable for this role is £13,000 per annum.

Remuneration is taxable and subject to National Insurance contributions. This is not pensionable.

Non-Executive Directors are eligible to claim travel and subsistence allowances for costs necessarily incurred on Trust business (including home to base travel which is taxable under HMRC regulations). 

Appointment

The appointment does not create a contract of service (employment) and is not within the jurisdiction of Employment Tribunals, neither is there any entitlement for compensation for loss of office through employment law.

To ensure public services values are maintained, all Directors of NHS Boards are required, on appointment, to subscribe to the codes of Conduct and Accountability to adhere to Trust Policies and Procedures at all times.

As a Non-Executive Director you must demonstrate high standards of professional and personal conduct.

You should note particularly the requirement to declare any conflict of interest that arises in the cause of Trust business and the need to declare any relevant business interests, positions of authority or connections with commercial, public or voluntary bodies.

UK - Midlands / UK - North England (Cheshire)