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Role details

Non-Executive Directors of the NHS Business Service Authority

Application deadline 23 May 2023

Summary

Organisation
NHS Business Services Authority
Sponsor department
Department of Health and Social Care
Location
Various
Sectors
Health and Social Care
Skills
Number of vacancies
3
Time commitment
2 day(s) per month
Remuneration
£7883 per annum
Length of term
Up to 3 years
Application deadline
11:59am on 23 May 2023

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Timeline for this appointment

  1. Opening date

    3 May 2023

  2. Application deadline

    11:59am on 23 May 2023

  3. Sifting date

    22 June 2023

  4. Interviews expected to end on

    19 July 2023

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the role

Introduction from the Chair

Introduction from Sue Douthwaite, Chair of the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA)
Dear Applicant,
The NHS Business Service Authority is an innovative and forward-thinking Arm’s Length Body within the Department of Health and Social Care with IT and digital development at the core of its ambitious strategy.
Its support for the NHS Long Term Plan and key Government priorities is centred around the national agenda on workforce, technology, and prevention. It uses data to inform workforce planning across the NHS, to improve assurance about NHS providers, and to reduce fraud and error.  The insights it brings through its internationally recognised analytics team and cutting-edge digital developments is helping it to realise the ambition of being a catalyst for better health.
The NHS BSA is agile and responsive and during the COVID pandemic, for instance, played a leading role on the national stage – rapidly establishing many new services to support citizens throughout the UK and providing NHS organisations and front-line staff with the infrastructure they require during a time of great need. These were delivered in a timely and effective way across the whole of the UK.
The energy with which the organisation has responded, and its highly effective collaboration with key partners, has been recognised nationally, and is setting the tone for the way in which the health and social care system will operate in the future.
There is a strong and empowered executive leadership team driven by a positive organisational culture, operational excellence, and people centric delivery. The Board is a highly engaged and important part of the organisation’s business governance. The contribution from its non-executives is central to providing the challenge, support and assurance required for taking the NHS Business Services Authority forward with its ambitious agenda.
Sue Douthwaite
Chair of NHSBSA
May 2023

Role description

Ministers are seeking to make up to 3 appointments to the board of the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA).
The NHSBSA is an Arm’s Length Body of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), responsible for providing platforms and delivering services which support the priorities of the NHS, Government and local health economies, and in doing so manages around £39 billions of NHS spend annually. These are delivered nationally and at scale, and by digitising services and utilising leading-edge technology, the business delivers taxpayer value, providing huge savings for the NHS.
As a Non-Executive Director on the NHSBSA Board, you will play a key role in driving continuous organisational improvement and performance, customer focus and service delivery through scrutiny, challenge, fairness, accountability, and effective corporate governance.
This is an opportunity to operate at national level and support the delivery of a wide range of critical business services to the NHS and citizens that have a tangible impact on people’s lives. The core responsibilities of the role are as follows:
  • Provide an independent view and creative contribution at Board meetings and sub committees in the pursuit of delivering the NHSBSA’s strategic vision (to be the delivery partner of choice for the health and care system) and underpinning business plans to support delivery of the DHSC’s priorities.
  • Monitor and challenge the performance of the NHSBSA’s executive management, holding it to account for the delivery of the strategic vision, organisational priorities and business plan objectives, and other central government requirements.
  • Build and maintain influential relationships with key partners, building strategic alliances across the health and social care system to improve efficiency and develop value-add services ensuring the needs of service users are met.
  • Role model the NHSBSA’s values (collaborative, adventurous, reliable, and energetic) and ensure that the organisation promotes equality and diversity and accessibility for all service users, staff and other stakeholders.

Organisation description

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) is a Special Health Authority and Arms-Length Body of the Department of Health and Social Care. NHSBSA employs around 3000 people, with sites in Newcastle, Wakefield, Fleetwood, Bolton and Eastbourne. Michael Brodie became Chief Executive Officer of NHSBSA in September 2019 and has developed an ambitious strategy for the business, expanding NHSBSAs focus across the wider health sector to ensure its strategy aligns with the long-term plan and future direction of travel for the NHS and Social Care.
NHSBSA delivers high volume, predominantly transactional services on behalf of the NHS and, since it was formed, has progressively taken on more operational functions. Since 2018, NHSBSA has supported work relating to EU Exit and other services, for example digitisation of the Healthy Food Scheme, NHS Student Support and Vaccine Damage Payments. In response to the COVID pandemic, NHSBSA has been leading over fifty national projects – working closely with its NHS partners to support UK citizens and front-line staff.
NHSBSA’s services are broadly split into 3 areas: Primary Care Services, Citizen Services and Workforce Services.
  • Primary Care Services include processing around 1 billion prescription items per year for pharmacists who have dispensed prescriptions in England and managing payments to dentists for NHS work in England and Wales, processing around 44 million forms a year. Since 2015 NHSBSA has provided a scanning service, digitising medical records to release space for frontline patient care. It also provides a Provider Assurance service on behalf of NHS England.
  • Citizen services include managing NHS student and social work bursaries in England, help with health costs including administering medical exemption certificates, maternity exemption certificates, prescription pre-payment certificates and the low-income scheme. NHSBSA is responsible for administering European Health Insurance Cards and in 2018 took over the full Overseas Health Service from the Department of Work and Pensions.
  • Workforce Services - NHSBSA administers the NHS Pension scheme for 2.6 million members and in April 2018 it also took responsibility of the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and NHS Jobs - the national portal for advertising NHS job vacancies, meaning that it provides the full hire to retire journey for NHS Employees. NHSBSA also provides HR Shared Services to its client base.
  • Workforce planning is a key area of NHSBSAs strategy with a number of system developments currently ongoing including development of NHS Jobs (the main job advertisement and recruitment portal for NHS organisations), a smartphone app for NHS Employees called ‘NHSLife’ and the ‘My NHS Pension’ self-service portal which provides users quick and easy access to their pension information and the facility to calculate what their pension will be depending on what age they retire.
Over the last two years NHSBSA has developed its data analytics and digital capability to save money for taxpayers and improve how patients can use its services through apps and other on-line services. Between 2013 and March 2019 NHSBSA ran the Pacific Programme, using insight from its data and specialist expertise to release £1bn for reinvestment into the NHS. Identifying health system-wide savings is now embedded in the culture of NHSBSA. This programme has been expanded and aims to save the NHS in excess of £250m – releasing resources for front-line services.
NHSBSA’s purpose is to be a catalyst for better health and to use its data and insight to add value to the wider health system. NHSBSA’s strategy has been developed to focus more on people and collaboration with key partners. Its strategic ambitions include:
  • Transform national platforms which support the career pathway of health and care colleagues
  • Help people to live longer and healthier lives, reducing disparities in health and care
  • Support the NHS and health and care system to deliver greater efficiencies

Board composition

There are usually 8 board meetings held a year in Newcastle with up-and-coming dates to be confirmed once candidates have been appointed.  Please note that the Chair and the Chief Executive are based in Huddersfield and Newcastle.

Regulation of appointment

This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the Commissioner’s website

Person specification

Essential criteria

To be considered, you must be able to demonstrate that you have the qualities, skills, and experience to meet all the essential criteria for appointment.
  • A career record of achievement, with an ability to operate effectively as a Non-Executive Director on the board of a high-profile national organisation.
  • An ability to focus on innovation, digitisation, technology, data, culture change, and change management.
  • A strong commitment to the BSA’s vision and strategy and an appreciation of the needs of the BSA’s customers, with a grasp of evolving policy and trends that affect service delivery.
  • An ability to guide the BSA’s strategic direction, and use sound judgement, based on th ability to consider and challenge complex issues from an impartial and balanced viewpoint.
  • Good communication skills, with the ability to work as part of a team, with a positive and constructive style, challenging management recommendations where necessary.

Desirable criteria

We would welcome candidates with skills and experience in one or more of the following areas:
Organisational transformation, enabled through digitisation and technology:
  • Experience of transforming the way services is delivered, providing end to end digital solutions that are designed with the customer at the centre.
Working with a range of stakeholders and experience of working in Government / the Civil Service or the NHS:
  • Knowledge and experience of engaging effectively with a range of stakeholders and working within one or more of central government; government agencies; the civil service; or the NHS. 
Public sector pensions:
  • Knowledge and experience of public sector pension scheme administration.

Application and selection process

How to apply

In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in.

Once you are logged into your account, click on 'apply for this role' and follow the on-screen instructions. To apply, all candidates are required to provide:

  • a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • a supporting statement
  • equality information
  • information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues

Guidance on what to include in your CV/Supporting Statement and tips for applying can be found in the corresponding sections below and on the public appointment website: Public appointments - GOV.UK

We will ask you to check and confirm your personal details to ensure your application is accurate.

You will also have the opportunity to make a reasonable adjustment request or apply under the disability confident scheme before you submit your application.

You will also be required to make any declarations related to standards in public life and ensuring public confidence in your Supporting Statement. Further information on this can be found in the relevant section below.

If you are unable to create an account and apply online, or if you have any problems submitting your application online, please contact Karen Dinsdale on 0113 2545414.

The Advisory Assessment Panel reserves the right to only consider applications that contain all of the elements listed above, and that arrive before the published deadline for applications.

Overview of the application process

Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process which is conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages. We aim to conclude the appointment process within three months of the deadline for applications – this is in accordance with the Governance Code.

The assessment process

  1. Ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the public appointments made within their department. As a result, they must be consulted at every stage of the appointments process.

  2. An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.

  3. At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.

  4. Once the shortlist has been agreed by Ministers, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.

  5. The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The Panel may invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.

  6. Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.

  7. Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before deciding the outcome. Candidates should therefore be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.

  8. Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.

Further information about appointments, including tips on applying, can be found on our guidance pages on gov.uk.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

Advisory Assessment Panels (AAP) are chosen by ministers to assist them in their decision-making. These include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive members of a board (apart from the Chair), the panel will usually include a representative from the public body concerned.
 AAP’s perform a number of functions, including agreeing an assessment strategy with ministers, undertaking sifting, carrying out interviews in line with the advertised criteria and deciding objectively who meets the published selection criteria for the role before recommending to ministers which candidates they find appointable. It is then for the minister to decide who to appoint to the role.
The panel will include:   
  • Melinda Johnson, DHSC Senior Sponsor for BSA as Panel Chair
  • Sue Douthwaite, Chair of BSA as Panel Member
  • Nigel Trout, Non-Executive Director at NHS Resolution as Independent Panel Member

Eligibility criteria

In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.

There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. 

You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:

  • you are disqualified from acting as a company director (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);

  • have an unspent conviction on your criminal record.

  • your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.

When you apply, you should declare if:

  • you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this.

  • you are subject to a current police investigation.

You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points. 

When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)
If you need further advice, please contact Karen.Dinsdale@dhsc.gov.uk

Security clearance

The successful candidate will be required to undertake Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks in line with the Civil Service guidelines. Additional Security Clearance may also be required for certain roles. However, where this applies, candidates will be notified during the appointment process. Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

Additional information for candidates

Equality and diversity

We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards of public bodies are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve and this is an important part of the Government’s levelling up agenda.
We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.
When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.

Disability confident

We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people. 
As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘minimum criteria,’ we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job-advert.
When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.
Some examples of common changes are:
  • ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats.
  • making adaptations to interview locations.
  • allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way.
  • giving additional detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves.
  • allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters.
  • making provision for support animals to attend.
When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.

Principles of public life

Holders of public office are expected to adhere to and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-7-principles-of-public-life/the-7-principles-of-public-life--2. These are:

  1. SELFLESSNESS - Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family or their friends.
  2. INTEGRITY - Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might seek to influence them in the performance of their official duties.
  3. OBJECTIVITY - In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit.
  4. ACCOUNTABILITY - Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.
  5. OPENNESS - Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.
  6. HONESTY - Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.
  7. LEADERSHIP - Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.

Code of conduct for board members

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. In support of this, all non-executive board members of UK public bodies must abide by the principles set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. The Code sets out the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK public bodies and will form part of your terms and conditions of appointment.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

Holders of public office are expected to adhere and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. Before you apply you should consider carefully: 
  • any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government. 
  • any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or public statements that you have made. 
  • and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported. 
which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.
You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies. 
Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (political activity is not a bar to appointment but must be declared).

Status of appointment

As this is an office holder appointment, you will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.

Appointment and tenure of office

Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers.  Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. There is no automatic presumption of reappointment; each case should be considered on its own merits, taking into account a number of factors including, but not restricted to, the diversity of the current board and its balance of skills and experience. In most cases, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or serve in any one post for more than ten years

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

Remuneration for this role is treated as employment income and will be subject to tax and National Insurance contributions, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.
You can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs which are properly and necessarily incurred on official business, in line with the travel and subsistence policy and rates for the organisation to which you are applying. However, these payments are taxable as earnings and will be subject to tax and national insurance, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.  

Pension and redundancy

This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon the end of your term of appointment because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.

Application feedback

We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.

How to complain

We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy.
Please contact the DHSC public appointments team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at appointments.team@dhsc.gov.uk who will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 working days.

How to complain to Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA)

If you are not content with the appointing department’s response you may wish to further complain to the Commissioner at publicappointments@csc.gov.uk
Further information on how the Commissioner handles complaints can be found on the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ website https://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/regulating-appointments/investigating-complaints/

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.
The DHSC privacy notice can be found at DHSC privacy notice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Contact details

For further information regarding the role for NHSBSA and the role of a NED please contact:
Email: sue.douthwaite@nhs.net
Telephone: 07826 162367
For any queries about your application status or the selection process, please contact Karen Dinsdale in DHSC’s Honours and ALB Public Appointments Unit via:
Telephone: 0113 2545414