Job summary
Every day South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) provide healthcare assistance to thousands of patients of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent, Surrey and North East Hampshire. This is a hugely diverse geographical area including densely populated urban areas, sparsely populated rural areas and some of the busiest stretches of motorway in the country.
Whether its through our emergency 999 service, NHS 111, or Clinical Coordination Centres we strive to deliver the right care, at the right time, in the right place; every time and in so doing reduce the number of visits to hospital giving our patients the best possible experience during what is usually an upsetting and emotional time. Our values are the standards which everyone working at our Trust is expected to live up to so as to provide the appropriate care for those we serve.
The last few years have been the most difficult ever for the ambulance service. Our services have had to respond to challenges never seen before, and which continue to have a long-lasting impact. Challenging times continue for us as we focus on our priorities for improvement across leadership, culture, safety, and the delivery of our urgent and emergency care services.
Main duties of the job
SECAmb is a hugely ambitious Trust. As the Chair you will be a member of a highly experienced board, where you will provide the leadership on strategic direction, performance management and governance of the Trust. Most importantly, you will be as passionate as we are about the work we deliver, will enjoy and be skilled at building partnerships across the complex systems we work within and want to be part of making life better for our workforce.
This is an unrivalled opportunity to effect change and transformation across the Trust whilst proudly improving the services for the communities we serve. With significant leadership experience, you will have the highest standards of personal integrity, and be able to demonstrate a clear understanding of, and alignment to, our values. A strategic thinker, you will understand the challenges of operating, and leading, a unitary board. Politically astute, you will value and enjoy engaging and working collaboratively, with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that SECAmb delivers its priorities and works effectively with its multiple system partners.
We want our Board to provide a broad spectrum of lived experience and are keen to attract candidates who can bring diverse perspectives. We welcome expressions of interest from the widest possible range of backgrounds, particularly those who are under- represented at Board level in the NHS.
About us
To find out more, visit our dedicated microsite:https://join-secamb.co.uk/
Or, for a confidential discussion, please contact:
Lucy Deane, Research Associate
E:lucy.deane@gatenbysanderson.com
T: +44 (0)7825 990 792
Melanie West, Senior Consultant
E:melanie.west@gatenbysanderson.com
T: +44 (0) 7384 464 187
To view the job description and person specification, please scroll to the bottom of the page, tick to agree to the privacy policy, then click 'Continue to full details'.
How to Apply
- along with a Supporting Statement that addresses the criteria set out in the person specification, using examples to demonstrate how you meet the essential requirements.
- Detail any employment or education gaps.
- You should also provide the names, positions, organisations and contact details for two referees; the referees should include your two most recent employers (line mangers) covering the last 3 years of employment. Please note if two references do not cover your last 3 years of employment you may need to provide further references at a later stage. Referees will be contacted for those proceeding to final stages.We will always gain your permission before we contact referees.
- Let us know any difficulty you may have with the indicative timetable.
- Check that your contact details are correct before you submit.
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an automated email to confirm that you have applied. If you do not receive this email, please make contact with GatenbySanderson.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Hello, my name is Michael Whitehouse.
Im one of the Senior Non-Executive Directors at SECAMB, and firstly, I want to thank you for expressing an interest in the role of Chairman of our Foundation Trust.
We serve a very diverse community, including Sussex, Surrey, Kent, and parts of Hampshire.
We have 3000 highly trained professional paramedics, nurses, and support staff, all of whom are really,really focused on delivering the best patient care for our communities.
We are a Trust that is essentially about emergency services, but its much more than this.
Most people think of the ambulance service as conveying people to hospitals, but we are at the heart of serving the communities in our area. That means that we need to be confident that we have the right strategy,that all our services are integrated, that we listen to our patients, and that we continue to be innovative in the types of patient care we deliver as a Trust.
We have been subject to regulation by the Care Quality Commission who have in the past questioned our leadership. We are seeking to address that. We have appointed a new Chief Executive.
We are developing a new clinically led strategy. We are looking to improve our digital support systems.And more than ever, we are listening to what our patients and our people tell us.
With the new Chief Executive, we are now looking for a chairman who will take us to the next level of performance, ensuring that we bring all the diverse skills that we have within the organisation together,that we are an important and realistic and valued player in the health system in the Southeast.If you have those skills, we really,really want you to apply.
We are looking for people who have dedication and real commitment to the NHS. Ive been at SECAMB now as a Non-Executive for nearly five years. Its a brilliant place to work. Our people are amazing. They really, really focus on patient care and that has never been questioned.
We recognise that we do need to improve our leadership,and this is what we are hoping our new Chair will help us deliver.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Hello, my name is Michael Whitehouse.
Im one of the Senior Non-Executive Directors at SECAMB, and firstly, I want to thank you for expressing an interest in the role of Chairman of our Foundation Trust.
We serve a very diverse community, including Sussex, Surrey, Kent, and parts of Hampshire.
We have 3000 highly trained professional paramedics, nurses, and support staff, all of whom are really,really focused on delivering the best patient care for our communities.
We are a Trust that is essentially about emergency services, but its much more than this.
Most people think of the ambulance service as conveying people to hospitals, but we are at the heart of serving the communities in our area. That means that we need to be confident that we have the right strategy,that all our services are integrated, that we listen to our patients, and that we continue to be innovative in the types of patient care we deliver as a Trust.
We have been subject to regulation by the Care Quality Commission who have in the past questioned our leadership. We are seeking to address that. We have appointed a new Chief Executive.
We are developing a new clinically led strategy. We are looking to improve our digital support systems.And more than ever, we are listening to what our patients and our people tell us.
With the new Chief Executive, we are now looking for a chairman who will take us to the next level of performance, ensuring that we bring all the diverse skills that we have within the organisation together,that we are an important and realistic and valued player in the health system in the Southeast.If you have those skills, we really,really want you to apply.
We are looking for people who have dedication and real commitment to the NHS. Ive been at SECAMB now as a Non-Executive for nearly five years. Its a brilliant place to work. Our people are amazing. They really, really focus on patient care and that has never been questioned.
We recognise that we do need to improve our leadership,and this is what we are hoping our new Chair will help us deliver.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- A person may be appointed as Chair only if they are a member of the Public Constituency. The Public Constituency is comprised of the following areas:
- Lower East SECAmb
- Upper East SECAmb
- Upper West SECAmb 4 (including certain wards of North East Hampshire and Berkshire identified in Annex 1)
- Lower West SECAmb
Experience
Essential
- Criteria for Disqualification
- The Trusts constitution places a number of restrictions on an individuals ability to become or continue as Chair. A person may not become or continue as Chair of the Trust if:
- a person who has been adjudged bankrupt or whose estate has been sequestrated and (in either case) has not been discharged;
- a person who has made a composition or arrangement with, or granted a trust deed for, his creditors and has not been discharged in respect of it.
- a person who within the preceding five years has been convicted in the British Islands of any offence if a sentence of imprisonment (whether suspended or not) for a period of not less than three months (without the option of a fine) was imposed on them.
- They are a member of the Council of Governors.
- They are the spouse, partner, parent or child of a member of the Board of Directors.
- They are subject to a disqualification order made under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986.
- They have had their name removed from a list maintained under regulations pursuant to sections 91, 106, 123 or 146 of the 2006
- Act.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- A person may be appointed as Chair only if they are a member of the Public Constituency. The Public Constituency is comprised of the following areas:
- Lower East SECAmb
- Upper East SECAmb
- Upper West SECAmb 4 (including certain wards of North East Hampshire and Berkshire identified in Annex 1)
- Lower West SECAmb
Experience
Essential
- Criteria for Disqualification
- The Trusts constitution places a number of restrictions on an individuals ability to become or continue as Chair. A person may not become or continue as Chair of the Trust if:
- a person who has been adjudged bankrupt or whose estate has been sequestrated and (in either case) has not been discharged;
- a person who has made a composition or arrangement with, or granted a trust deed for, his creditors and has not been discharged in respect of it.
- a person who within the preceding five years has been convicted in the British Islands of any offence if a sentence of imprisonment (whether suspended or not) for a period of not less than three months (without the option of a fine) was imposed on them.
- They are a member of the Council of Governors.
- They are the spouse, partner, parent or child of a member of the Board of Directors.
- They are subject to a disqualification order made under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986.
- They have had their name removed from a list maintained under regulations pursuant to sections 91, 106, 123 or 146 of the 2006
- Act.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
