Job responsibilities
Governance and Compliance
1. Establish and monitor procedures to ensure that the Trust complies with all relevant legal, constitutional, and regulatory requirements.
2. Monitor the corporate governance and compliance implications of all papers submitted to the Trust Board, the Council of Governors, the Executive and all their sub groups
3. Ensure that the Trust has in place sound governance policies, procedures and structures to promote and ensure probity in the conduct of business and compliance with policies.
4. Establish arrangements to monitor compliance with Standing Orders and other internal Trust policies.
5. Co-ordinate amendments to the Trusts Constitution and Standing Orders ensuring effective consideration by the Council of Governors and the Board of Directors.
6. Keep up to date on developments in corporate governance in the UK and elsewhere through regular research, reading and attending relevant events. Provide specialist knowledge of Foundation Trusts best practice, organisational policies and procedures, and governance to the Chief Executive, Executive Directors, their direct reports, external organisations, Trust staff, Governors, Trust Members and the general public when required.
7. Monitor the procedures in place for the correct administration of subsidiary organisations and joint ventures.
8. Be responsible for the Trust Seal and ensure all legal documents are properly signed, sealed, witnessed and Trust Seal usage reported to the Board.
9. Maintain the Trusts Register of Interests for Board Directors, all Trust staff and the Council of Governors, undertaking annual review that is formally reported to the Board and assessed by the Trusts Counter-Fraud, Internal and External Audit services. Ensure these registers are routinely updated on the Trusts website.
10. Ensure the application of the Trusts Hospitality Policy and maintain the Hospitality Register, reporting declarations at appropriate intervals. Liaise with Board members and Trust officers to ensure hospitality is recorded and declarations are provided in an accurate and timely manner in accordance with NHS England requirements.
11. Assess and interpret detailed highly complex information from NHS England and other Regulators to determine and/or recommend the most appropriate course of action or response in the face of a rapidly changing environment.
12. Maintain an effective internal control framework, ensuring that all organisational risk registers and the Board Assurance Framework (BAF) are monitored, reviewed and actions followed up. Ensure the Trust has appropriate risk management aligned with the strategy. Ensure timely reporting of all risks and BAF through the relevant committees.
13. Plan and prepare the Annual Report, incorporating the Annual Governance Statement (AGS). Interpret and share the Annual Reporting Manual annually as it is received to ensure timely submission of data and information for the Annual Report and AGS. Ensure the Trust Annual Report and Accounts are laid before Parliament.
14. Ensure the Trusts suite of corporate governance documentation is developed and maintained up to date.
15. Develop briefings for the Board members ensuring there is an understanding of the changes in governance and the NHS landscape are understood and internal plans to address changes are in place.
Boards of Directors and Governors
16. Work closely with the Trust Secretary to ensure the effective coordination and working of the Board, Council of Governors, the Executive and their sub-groups.
17. Oversee the provision of advice and administrative support to all Trust Board, Council of Governors, Executive and supporting group meetings.
18. Produce and maintain an annual work programme for the Trust Board, the Council of Governors, the Executive and their supporting groups.
19. Developing and updating terms of reference for all groups within the Trust governance framework and ensuring they are reviewed at appropriate intervals.
20. Manage the election processes for public, patient and staff representatives to the Council of Governors, including ensuring statutory and constitutional requirements are met in the conduct of contested and non-contested elections.
21. Arrange induction and ongoing training and development for Board and Council members.
22. Develop and manage a comprehensive support service to Governors.
23. Develop and maintain a Directors Handbook incorporating standing orders, relevant policies and procedures and the Governors Resource Pack.
24. Maintain the system for tracking outstanding Board and other group decisions.
Membership
25. Develop and implement the Trust membership strategy.
26. Develop and oversee the operation of a membership database ensuring that data is accurate, secure compliant with all relevant legislation and reflects the Trusts Constitution.
27. Be a point of contact for the Council of Governors, members and anyone enquiring about becoming a member of the Foundation Trust.
28. Promote the Trust positively to members and work with the Communications Team to encourage membership through local and national media organisations.
29. Produce any reports required on the Trusts membership by the Council of Governors.
30. Work with the communications team in the development of membership communications, information for presentations, membership updates for the Trusts website, and development of Membership newsletters.
31. Manage preparations for the Annual General Meeting.
Document Control
Manage and maintain the administration and timely reviews of all non-clinical policies and procedures and ensuring there are systems in place for all policies and procedures to be reviewed, updated and approved in conjunction with the Executive Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Medical Officers office.
Develop and manage the corporate register of policies
Provide advice and assistance to sponsors etc in developing or replacing policies and procedures, ensuring all Trust policies and procedures comply with statutory, legal and NHS requirements.
Maintain consistent standards across the entire Trust for the preparation, production, presentation and approval of policies, including consistency of style, format and process according to controlled document policy framework.
Support non-clinical teams to renew their policies and procedures to align with the Trust wide transformation programme to reduce and improve the quality of policy and procedures.
Ensure Connect and the Trust website is up to date with current policies and procedures and is accessible to all staff across all sites that the Trust operates from.
Ensure documents are retained in accordance with the NHS codes of practice on records management.
Manage the policy and database for responding to external agency reports, in accordance with the relevant trust policy.
Freedom of Information
Act as Trust Deputy Data Protection Officer and lead specialist for issues relating to Freedom of Information, including managing the process for Freedom of Information requests ensuring that responses are issued within the appropriate timeline of 20 days and applying the appropriate use of exemptions where required.
Provide leadership and line management for the Freedom of Information and Policy Officer, conducting appraisals, setting objectives and supporting continuous development
Report on compliance against FOIs, including Information Commissioners Office (ICO) cases, internal reviews and any identified trends in requests. Report regularly to the Risk Committee.
Act as a focal point of contact for all ICO queries and develop a strong relationship. Where internal reviews and ICO cases occur, ensure the proper process is carried out and comply with the ICO on all queries to rectify the outcome of the case.
Ensure all ICO cases are reported through to the Risk Committee.
Ensure efficient systems and processes in place for managing, reporting and responding to all FOI requests.
Ensure the Trust Publication Scheme is up to date and displays information required for the public.
Create and maintain a register detailing all requests received under Freedom of Information/ Environmental Information Regulations.
Produce the Freedom of Information policy and ensure it is reviewed and updated regularly.
Develop and manage the Trusts publication scheme.
Information Governance
Ensure the Trust complies with all information governance legislation and standards and has effective systems in place to sustain compliance
Develop, implement and enforce information governance policies for the Trust to ensure compliance with relevant legislation
Ensure that suspected and actual breaches of information governance policies are investigated
Maintain the Trust information governance risk register.
Develop and implement an annual plan to promote and raise the profile of information governance standards in the Trust
