Job summary
**Please note that to be eligible to apply for this role candidates must reside in the North East or North Cumbria (i.e. the geographical area covered by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System).**
We are seeking a Non-Executive Director to complement our existing Board Members, using their skills and experiences to help us to achieve our ambitions and strategy.
We are seeking a Non-Executive Director with a legal qualification and significant legal experience. We recognise the value that legal expertise can add to our Board of Directors, providing constructive feedback and input into complex issues.
Note that Non-Executive Directors must be a member of one of the public constituencies of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust (which includes the whole of the North East and North Cumbria in line with the geographical boundaries of the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System).
Main duties of the job
As a Non-Executive Director, you will work alongside the Chair, other Non-Executive Directors and Executive Directors of the Trust as a full member of the Board. You will be individually and collectively accountable with the other Directors for the success of the organisation and will have the responsibility to constructively challenge the decisions of the Board and help develop proposals on priorities, risk mitigation, values, standards and strategies.
As a qualified lawyer you will bring independent legal knowledge and judgement to the work of the Board and its committees, utilising your subject matter knowledge to constructively contribute to debate and decision-making.
Non-Executive Director appointments are made by the Trust's Council of Governors taking into account local needs and the requirements of theCode of Governance for NHS Provider Trusts
A Non-Executive Director with communications experience would add real value to our Board discussions - ensuring that we adopt the most effective approach to communicating with our patients, people, the public and partners. This is a desirable rather than essential criteria in our person specification.
Non-Executive Directors are chosen for their breadth of experience, appropriate calibre and personal qualities.
A Non-Executive Director of the Trust, or any other NHS Foundation Trust, may not be or become a Governor of the Foundation Trust.
About us
At Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust we provide a wide range of acute, community and older peoples' mental health services to our local community and beyond. We also provide a range of specialist services including bowel screening for a population of around 7 million people and specialist gynaecological cancer treatments from the Scottish Borders through to Cumbria and Whitby.
We employ over 5,100 people and have over 400 hospital beds across the Gateshead area. We have an annual turnover of around £400 million and our wholly-owned subsidiary, QE Facilities, provides a wide range of high-quality services to the Trust and other NHS organisations.
Our philosophy is that to achieve the best patient care and outcomes we must be clinically-led and management supported - this is an integral part of our approach to everything we do.
We have three main strategic ambitions: to be a Northern Centre of Excellence for Women's Health; to be a leading provider of diagnostic services; and to be an outstanding district general hospital. We believe that by achieving these ambitions we will be able to make a valuable contribution to the healthcare of the people of Gateshead, but also to the wider North East and North Cumbria.
We are proud to be rated as 'good' overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) at our last full inspection. Our maternity services were inspected in 2023 and we were delighted to be rated as 'good' with a number of areas of outstanding practice highlighted.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Non-Executive Director role has been aligned to the six leadership competency areas outlined in the NHS England Leadership Competency Framework:
- Driving high-quality and sustainable outcomes
- Setting strategy and delivering long-term transformation
- Promoting equality and inclusion, and reducing health and workforce inequalities
- Providing robust governance and assurance
- Creating a compassionate, just and positive culture
- Building trusted relationships with partners and communities
Further details can be found in the attached recruitment pack.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Non-Executive Director role has been aligned to the six leadership competency areas outlined in the NHS England Leadership Competency Framework:
- Driving high-quality and sustainable outcomes
- Setting strategy and delivering long-term transformation
- Promoting equality and inclusion, and reducing health and workforce inequalities
- Providing robust governance and assurance
- Creating a compassionate, just and positive culture
- Building trusted relationships with partners and communities
Further details can be found in the attached recruitment pack.
Person Specification
Qualifications & skills
Essential
- oA recognised legal qualification and associated significant legal experience
- oA deeply-rooted commitment to the delivery of safe, high-quality, compassionate and joined-up care, and to its continuous improvement
- oHigh level of understanding and interest in healthcare issues
- oAbility to understand and contribute to the strategic direction of a large and complex organisation
- oProven leadership skills
- oClear understanding, and acceptance, of the legal duties, liabilities, and responsibilities of Non-Executive Directors
- oAbility to fulfil fit and proper person requirements of the role
Values
Essential
- A commitment to NHS values and principles of NHS Foundation Trusts
- Ability to work with and influence senior leaders in the NHS across all professional/management disciplines
Experience
Essential
- oAbility to work with and influence senior leaders across all professional/management disciplines
- oHigh level of understanding and interest in healthcare issues
- oClear understanding, and acceptance, of the legal duties, liabilities, and responsibilities of Non-Executive Directors
- oSufficient time and commitment to fulfil the role
Desirable
- oThe temperament, ability and experience to work at a Board level (previous Board-level experience is desirable, but not essential) as full support will be offered
- oPrevious experience of chairing committees is desirable, but not essential as full support will be given
- oAwareness / willingness to develop an awareness of mass public health issues which may affect the Trust
Person Specification
Qualifications & skills
Essential
- oA recognised legal qualification and associated significant legal experience
- oA deeply-rooted commitment to the delivery of safe, high-quality, compassionate and joined-up care, and to its continuous improvement
- oHigh level of understanding and interest in healthcare issues
- oAbility to understand and contribute to the strategic direction of a large and complex organisation
- oProven leadership skills
- oClear understanding, and acceptance, of the legal duties, liabilities, and responsibilities of Non-Executive Directors
- oAbility to fulfil fit and proper person requirements of the role
Values
Essential
- A commitment to NHS values and principles of NHS Foundation Trusts
- Ability to work with and influence senior leaders in the NHS across all professional/management disciplines
Experience
Essential
- oAbility to work with and influence senior leaders across all professional/management disciplines
- oHigh level of understanding and interest in healthcare issues
- oClear understanding, and acceptance, of the legal duties, liabilities, and responsibilities of Non-Executive Directors
- oSufficient time and commitment to fulfil the role
Desirable
- oThe temperament, ability and experience to work at a Board level (previous Board-level experience is desirable, but not essential) as full support will be offered
- oPrevious experience of chairing committees is desirable, but not essential as full support will be given
- oAwareness / willingness to develop an awareness of mass public health issues which may affect the Trust
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
