Trust SecretaryNHS

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and highly credible governance professional to join George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust (GEH) and South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) as our Trust Secretary.

This is a rare opportunity to work at the heart of two successful NHS organisations, supporting our Chair, Chief Executive, Board and Governors to deliver the highest standards of corporate governance, transparency and accountability.

As a trusted adviser to the Board, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring both organisations operate in accordance with statutory requirements, NHS governance frameworks and best practice. You will help shape governance arrangements that support the delivery of high-quality services to our communities while enabling closer collaboration across the two Trusts.

Main duties of the job

Act as advisor to the Chief Executive, Chairperson, Board of Directors/Trust Board and Council of Governors on all issues relating to corporate governance, ensuring the Foundation/NHS Trust's corporate affairs are undertaken to the highest standards of probity and according to statutory and legislative requirements of the regulatory framework.

Support the Chief Executive in fulfilling their Accounting Officer responsibilities with respect to good governance and to maintain the highest standards of prudence, propriety and regularity.

Oversee the administration and secretarial service to the Board of Directors/Trust Board and Council of Governors, advising the Chairperson and ensuring compliance with all statutory and procedural requirements.

To manage SWFT budgets for pay and non-pay within the department.

Act as gatekeeper to the Trust's legal advisors when legal advice is required for corporate, clinical and other matters.

Provide ad-hoc legal support to large scale projects within the Trust.

Line manage the Deputy Trust Secretary, and the corporate support function.

Job description

Corporate Governance/Board of Directors/Trust Board:

Provide independent expert advice and support to the Chief Executive and Chairperson on all matters relating to statutory and legislative compliance and interpretation.

Provide authoritative advice to the Chief Executive, Chairperson, Board of Directors/Trust Board and Council of Governors on legal, constitutional matters, correct and proper conduct of business and meetings. Commission and provide briefings for external legal advice where necessary, to ensure the efficient and effective resolution of issues.

Scrutinise and report to the Board of Directors/Trust Board on all new regulatory developments.

Ensure that the Trust complies with its terms of authorisation and Constitution, and that amendments to the Constitution are drafted and incorporated in line with correct procedures, including the seeking of legal advice.

Support the Chairperson and Chief Executive in ensuring compliance with The NHS Foundation Trust Code of Governance and other best practice in corporate governance.

Ensure Standing Orders are in place, acted upon and reviewed as necessary, and with the Chief Finance Officer, ensure Standing Financial Instructions and a Scheme of Delegation is similarly in place, reviewed and acted upon by the Board of Directors/Trust Board.

Contribute to the development of systems, control processes and risk management arrangements that comply with internal and external governance and best practice requirements, and contribute to continuous improvement of the quality of risk information particularly in the areas of key controls.

With the Chief Executive, Managing Director and Chief Officers, ensure effective risk management reporting for the Trust, including through the submission of regular reports to the Board of Directors/Trust Board on the Trusts risk profile.

On behalf of the Managing Director, take responsibility for the Board Assurance Framework (BAF). Ensure the BAF is populated once the Trust and Foundation Group annual objectives have been agreed, reviews are undertaken on a quarterly basis and the BAF is scrutinised, challenged and reviewed in accordance with the agreed BAF review process.

Ensure reporting arrangements to enable the Board of Directors/Trust Board to focus on those goals and objectives in the annual plan that are at risk of not being delivered.

Ensure the effective flow of information within the Board of Directors/Trust Board and Committees, and between the Executive Team and the Board of Directors/Trust Board, through the development and implementation of a sound performance reporting and risk management system and other appropriate mechanisms.

Assess the governance implications of papers put to the Board of Directors/Trust Board and Audit Committee.

Ensure that the Board of Directors/Trust Board and its Committees are properly constituted, operated and supported, according to the Trusts Constitution and the regulatory framework.

Provide authoritative advice to the Trusts Audit Committee and Audit Committee Chair, ensuring compliance with governance requirements.

Responsible for establishing and maintaining a system of declarations under the Fit and Proper Person regulations (The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, regulation 5), for Directors and defined equivalents. Ensuring that the necessary checks are undertaken for new appointees.

Responsible for ensuring the Registers of Directors and Directors Declarations of Interest are maintained, regularly updated and available for public inspection.

Provide advice and guidance to Board members and Trust staff on the Trusts Gifts, Hospitality and Sponsorship Policy. Ensuring the Trusts Gifts, Hospitality and Sponsorship Register is maintained and a 6-monthly progress report and update on the Register is submitted to Audit Committee.

Provide advice and guidance to Trust staff on the Trusts Managing Conflicts of Interest Policy. Ensuring the Trusts Staff Declarations of Interest Register is maintained and a 6-monthly progress report and update on the Register is submitted to Audit Committee.

Ensure that arrangements are in place for the safe custody and application of the common seal, and maintain the Register of Signing and Sealing.

Responsible for the signing and sealing of any documents that are a necessary step in legal proceedings in accordance with the Board of Directors/Trust Boards Standing Orders.

Responsible for ensuring the Annual Report is prepared, in accordance with all relevant legislation/guidance, and ensuring the Annual Report and Annual Accounts are both laid before Parliament in accordance with statutory deadlines.

Act as a signatory on behalf of the Trust, as outlined in the Scheme of Delegation.

Foundation Trust/NHS Trust Secretariat:

Oversee the provision of the secretariat functions for providing adequate administrative resource to facilitate the effective working of the Board of Directors/Trust Board and its Committees. The Secretariat will support the Chairperson, Chief Executive and Committee Chairs, in the effective conduct of the Board of Directors/Trust Board and Board Committee business, in particular through:

Planning, preparation and timely submission of agendas, reports, supporting papers and Minutes;

Preparing agenda and Minutes for Board of Directors/Trust Board and Board Committees; preserving proper records of business;

Organisation, agenda planning, identification and assignment of actions and tasks; and determining forward plans for the business of the Board of Directors/Trust Board in consultation with the Chairperson and Chief Executive;

Maintaining calendars of prospective Board of Directors/Trust Boards business to ensure such business is appropriately dealt with within an annual business cycle;

Reviewing and discussing, as required, the Board of Directors/Trust Board agendas to optimise the use of time at meetings;

Ensuring that agendas are issued with proper notice;

Ensuring Minutes of the Board of Directors/Trust Board and Committees properly record decisions made and their context, and

Ensuring that the business of the Board of Directors/Trust Board and its Committees is planned in advance and that papers are dealt with by the most appropriate Committee in the most appropriate way.

Line manage the Deputy Trust Secretary, and the corporate support function ensuring appraisal/training requirements are met and provide advice and support when required.

Council of Governors:

Manage legal and constitutionally compliant arrangements for elections to the Council of Governors and the appointment of stakeholders; managing the process for resignations and replacements between elections.

Provide advice to the Council of Governors, including interpretation of the Constitution, Standing Orders and other policies/procedures.

Ensure the Council of Governors is supported effectively in its statutory roles, including support at meetings and Governor Committee meetings.

Support the Chairperson to ensure effective communication with the Council of Governors and ensure there is a satisfactory induction process and training for Governors.

Ensure that effective arrangements are in place for the Council of Governors to communicate with members.

Ensure that general meetings of the Council of Governors are held in accordance with the Trusts Constitution.

Responsible for the arrangements of the Council of Governor working group to review the Trusts Constitution and seeking legal advice where required.

Oversee the provision of the secretarial functions to the Council of Governors and its Committees/Working Groups, including:

Planning, preparation and timely submission of agendas, reports, supporting papers and Minutes;

Maintaining calendars of prospective business to ensure such business is appropriately dealt with, within an annual cycle;

Ensuring that agendas are issued with proper notice;

Ensuring Minutes of the Council of Governors and Committees properly record decisions made and their context, and

Ensure the Registers of members of the Council of Governors and Governors Declarations of Interest are maintained, regularly updated and available for public inspection.

About us

Come and join a Trust rated Outstanding by the CQC. South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust have been rated as outstanding following our latest inspection by the CQC and we are recruiting new staff to come and help us improve even further. In addition our staff survey results have placed us 4th in the country for recommended place to work.

We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the county. We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity.Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are 'Trusted to provide safe, inclusive, effective and compassionate care'. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn't matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.

As part of our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion we encourage all applicants to complete a short survey. This can be accessed via the link below:

https://forms.office.com/e/ahWY3eAGM2

We appreciate you completing the survey.