Two Non-Executive Directors of NHS Blood and Transplant
- Body
- Department of Health and Social Care
- Appointing Department
- Department of Health and Social Care
- Sector
- Health and Social Care
- Location
- London
- Number of Vacancies
- 2
- Remuneration
- NHSBT NEDs are remunerated at the standard rate of £7,883, with the Audit Chair receiving the standard rate of £13,137 per annum
- Time Requirements
- 2 to 3 days per month
Campaign Timeline
-
Competition Launched
20/09/2018
-
Closed for Applications
10/10/2018 at 12:00
-
Panel Sift
29/10/2018
-
Final Interview Date
09/11/2018
-
Announcement
19/02/2019
Announcement
An announcement has been made on the outcome of this appointment.
The following people have been appointed as Non-Executive Directors of NHS Blood and Transplant for three years with effect from 18 February 2019:
• Helen Fridell – for three years as a Non-Executive Director • Piers White – for three years as a Non-Executive Director responsible for chairing the Governance and Assurance Committee
These appointments will involve a time commitment of 2 to 3 days per month. Remuneration for the roles will be at a rate of £7,883 per annum for the Non-Executive Director role, and £13,137 for the Chair of the Governance and Assurance Committee respectively.
These appointments are made in accordance with the Cabinet Office Code of Governance for Public Appointments. The regulation of public appointments against the requirements of this Code is carried out by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
These appointments are made on merit and political activity played no part in the decision process. However, in accordance with the Code, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) to be made public. None of the candidates have declared any political activity.
Date: 19/02/2019
Assessment Panel
- Panel Member
- Mark Davies
- Added
- 20/09/2018
- Panel Role
- Panel Chair
- Positions
- Director of Population Health, Department of Health and Social Care Departmental Official
Show more information
| Political Activity | None |
|---|---|
| Notes | - |
- Panel Member
- Millie Banerjee
- Added
- 20/09/2018
- Positions
- Chair of NHSBT Representative of Organisation
Show more information
| Political Activity | None |
|---|---|
| Notes | - |
- Panel Member
- Chris Jones
- Added
- 20/09/2018
- Positions
- Independent Member
Show more information
| Political Activity | None |
|---|---|
| Notes | - |
Vacancy Description
Introduction
Ministers are seeking to make 2 appointments to the board of NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). NHSBT is a joint England and Wales Special Health Authority responsible for the provision of a reliable, efficient supply of blood to hospitals in England, and associated services to the wider NHS. It is also the organ donation organisation for the UK and is responsible for matching and allocating donated organs.
Role and Responsibilities of the a NED
As a Non-Executive Director, you will work with the Chair; six other non-executives; and the Chief Executive and his Executive team to govern the activities of NHSBT. With them you will share the corporate responsibility for the decisions of the Board and the performance of the organisation.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is seeking to recruit two new NEDs to the NHSBT, including a NED to chair the Governance and Assurance Committee.
In particular you will:
- contribute to the development of strategy, agreeing the goals, business plans and objectives of the organisation taking into account the policies of the various UK health departments as necessary
- monitor and review performance ensuring that financial controls and systems of risk management are robust and effective
- help shape a positive and powerful culture in NHSBT through engaging with and providing ideas and guidance to the NHSBT team
- demonstrate a commitment to patient safety and to patients and staff being able to properly raise concerns
- represent the Board, as required, at official occasions and visits to NHSBT sites
Person Specification
Qualities required for the role of a NHSBT NED
The Department of Health and Social Care values and promotes diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community. The boards of public bodies should reflect the population they are there to serve. Boards also benefit from fresh perspectives, and we are always keen to encourage candidates with private sector experience to consider applying for our roles.
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.
Essential Criteria
- ability to operate effectively on the board of a large and complex national organisation
- have a significant record of achievement and be able to demonstrate how your skills and experience can be used to the benefit of NHSBT and in meeting some of its key challenges
- experience of effective delivery of substantial transformation in a private or public sector organisation
- proven ability to develop or work within robust governance arrangements and monitor performance, encompassing financial and risk management
- good communicator with sound judgement, able to contribute to informed debate, sometimes on sensitive scientific and human issues, and reaches decisions based on evidence and consensus
For the NED who will Chair the Governance and Assurance Committee:
- an understanding of the importance of risk management and audit to good governance, and a record of achievement at a senior level in strategic financial management
For the other NED:
- a technology expert familiar with modern digital technology and data management techniques
Additional Information
NHSBT role and responsibilities
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is a Special Health Authority dedicated to saving and improving lives. We are an essential part of the NHS providing a wide range of services making the most of absolutely every donation – from blood and organs to tissues and stem cells.
We were formed in 2005 by bringing together the National Blood Service and UK Transplant. We are now one of the largest and most effective organisations of its type in the world.
We employ over 5,400 people across the UK, with total revenue of over £417 million, delivering blood, and blood based therapies across England; Diagnostic and Therapeutic services globally; and organ donation and supply services for the whole of the UK.
We stand for helping ordinary people do something extraordinary, saving and improving the lives of others with their valuable donations.
To achieve this we:
- collect and process over 1.4 million units of blood and platelets annually to ensure a constant supply of blood to hospitals from 5,500 donors giving blood every day;
- make possible some 9,000 organ and cornea transplants every year;
- retrieve and store other tissues like skin and bone ready for patient use;
- manufacture a range of specialist therapeutic blood products;
- provide a number of related services such as solid organ tissue typing and cord blood banking;
- provide apheresis services directly to patients;
- manage the NHS Organ Donor Register (which currently has nearly 24 million names) and the British Bone Marrow Registry;
- support a significant research and development programme operated in partnership with a number of the UK’s leading universities; and
- provide expert advice to other NHS organisations, the Department of Health and Social Care, Ministers and devolved administrations.
In performing this essential activity, we engage with millions of people throughout the country and connect directly with more people on a daily basis than any other single part of the NHS. In addition to supplying the lifesaving products that are needed by NHS patients we are immensely proud that our activities support the incredible altruism and generosity of donors and bring communities together across the country.
To find out more, please click here to go to our website to view videos which explore the journey of donors: 7
https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/get-involved/promoting-donation-hub/download-digital-materials/organ-donation-videos/
Financial Performance
We track our financial performance across three key areas: Blood, Organ Donation and Transplantation, and Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services.
Blood: The Division has continued to respond to the sustained reduction in red cell demand that has seen overall demand fall by a further 4.9% in 2017/18. We continue to be proud of the fact that prices for red cells in 2018/19 will be lower than they were in 2005/06, despite inflation, investing in higher safety and availability and a 28% reduction in red cell demand over that period. In aggregate the cost of red cells supplied to the NHS in 2018/19 will be circa £79m pa lower than they were in 2008/09.
Organ Donation and Transplantation: There were 1,575 deceased donors in 2017/18 (2016/17 1,413), 11.5% higher than 2016/17. As a result, there were 4,035 deceased transplants in 2017/18 (2016/17 3,712), up by 8.7%. These, again, have established new annual records for both the number of deceased donors and the number of deceased transplants in the UK.
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services: Income in 2017/18 at £75.0m (2016/17 £69.3m) was 8.2% higher than last year. This was driven by increased activity in Therapeutic Apheresis Services (up 31.0%), Red Cell Immunohaematology (up 14%) and Cellular and Molecular Therapies (up 8%).
You can view our full annual reports and accounts here at: https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/who-we-are/transparency/accounts/
Our Four Major Targets for the Year Ahead
The blood supply chain is in need of further change to drive efficiency and quality while ensuring sufficient supply of the right blood types to meet patient need.
The modernisation of NHSBT’s core IT systems and the implementation of new IT solutions to support both the blood supply chain and Organ Donation and Transplantation.
Organ Donation and Transplantation faces the challenge of ensuring as many people as possible in need of an organ can receive one and supporting the proposed introduction of opt out in Scotland and England.
Innovative income streams – Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services is already a world leader in many areas of its work and we will be exploring ways to capitalise on our expertise in new areas and develop new partnerships. This is set against the context of increased competition in its market.
You can view our full Strategic Plan 2017-2022 on our public website at: https://nhsbtdbe.blob.core.windows.net/umbraco-assets-corp/4481/nhsbt-strategic-plan-2017-2022.pdf
Diversity and Inclusion
There is a real commitment from NHSBT’s Board to ensure we are delivering on our Diversity and Inclusion objectives and a bi-annual update to the Board allows us to keep updated on all interventions and to monitor progress.
An annual Diversity & Inclusion work plan tracks and monitors a set of workforce objectives which have been developed in response to our Single Equality Scheme 2015-19 and “Our People Strategy”.
Key considerations this year include how we support the further development of the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Network, the LGBT+ Network, the Women in Science Network and how we prepare and improve our support on disability and well-being in readiness for the new Workforce Disability Equality Standard in April 2019.
Diversity & Inclusion awareness training and leadership development is fundamental to achieving greater insight and confidence in working inclusively. Development and provision of training is at the top of this year’s agenda.
The Future
As part of the backbone of the NHS, we reach the public at the most critical stages of their lives. Few organisations have the ability to reach so many, delivering the best possible service to patients, donors and the NHS. The range of our work providing diagnostic and therapeutic services, organ donation & transplantation, and blood supply, demands that our operations are world class, providing a safe, reliable and efficient supply across the UK by working seamlessly with an unparalleled range of stakeholders including government, volunteers, the health sector and academia.
The NHS faces substantial demands which puts further pressure on us to ensure that our service is as efficient as possible while working closely with partner organisations experiencing substantial strain on their staff numbers, facilities and finances. As pressure on these services continues, we must ensure our services maintain efficiency while always focusing on future innovation. We must work at the forefront of volunteer engagement and keeping pace with digital advancements will be critical us as we seek to remain close to and diversify our donor base, without whom we would not exist. More work remains to ensure that we find innovative ways to work with the public and providers to continuously improve services.
Working with our Chair, and an experienced Board you will support delivery of our expansive vision, having the opportunity to take us forward beyond Strategic Plan 2017-2022 to make sure that we are here when people need us most. You will be excited to make your mark on such a critical organisation and will seize the opportunity to push forward our reputation for quality, 9
ensuring existing operations remain fit for the future alongside effective collaboration with our partners.
NHSBT has a strong record of continuous improvement, quality and efficiency which is essential as the NHS is facing increasing pressure. We have a duty to be as efficient as we possibly can so that the NHS has more resources to spend on frontline services to patients. NHSBT also has a strong record as an innovator and we aim to:
- be the supplier of choice to the NHS for tissue and eye services, stem cell therapies, therapeutic apheresis, specialist blood diagnostic (Red Cell Immunohaematology) and organ testing (Histocompatibility and Immunogenetic) services;
- increase the number of patients benefiting from curative stem cell transplants;
- develop products and innovative techniques that have the potential to deliver an income surplus that can be reinvested into services and further research; and
- lead the way on regenerative medicine.
The Role of the Board
The Board provides governance for the organisation. Its key duties are to:
- Collectively promote the success of NHS Blood and Transplant
- Provide strategic direction and set objectives
- Monitor the achievement of objectives through a framework of effective financial and quality management
- Set and maintain the values for the organisation and ensure that its obligation to all stakeholders, including patients, donors, the Secretary of State and Ministers in the Devolved Administrations are understood and met.
How to Apply
Making an application
Thank you for your interest in the appointment of a NED to the NHSBT.
To make an application please email your CV, a supporting letter and completed monitoring forms to:
appointments.team@dh.gsi.gov.uk – please quote ref: SP18-21 in the subject field.
If you are unable to apply by email you may send your application by post to:
Julia Peters Department of Health and Social Care, Room 1N09, Quarry House, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UE
Applications must be received by midday on 10th October 2018.
In making an application please note the following:
Supporting letter
The supporting letter is your opportunity to demonstrate how you meet each of the criteria set out in the person specification. It will benefit the Advisory Assessment Panel if you can be clear which particular evidence you provide relates to which criteria. Providing separate paragraphs in relation to each criterion is common practice. Please write all acronyms in full first.
Please ensure your full name, the role to which you are applying and the corresponding reference number for the post are clearly noted at the top of your letter.
Please limit your letter to two pages, and type or write clearly in black ink.
Conflicts of interest
If you have any business or personal interests that might be relevant to the work of NHSBT, and which could lead to a real or perceived conflict of interest if you were to be appointed, please provide details in your Supporting letter.
If appointed, you will also be required to declare these interests on appointment and they will be entered into a register which is available to the public.
Standards in public life and ensuring public confidence
Given the nature of public appointments, it is important that those appointed as members of public bodies maintain the confidence of the public and Government. If there are any issues in your personal or professional history that could, if you were appointed, be misconstrued, cause embarrassment to Ministers or NHSBT or cause public confidence in the appointment to be jeopardised, it is important that you bring them to the attention of the Assessment Panel and provide details of the issue/s in your Supporting letter. In considering whether you wish to declare any issues, you should also reflect on any public statements you have made, including through social media.
The panel may explore any issues you declare with you before they make a recommendation on the appointment.
Failure to disclose such information could result in an appointment being terminated, as those who hold public appointments are expected to demonstrate the highest standards of corporate and personal conduct, and are required to subscribe to the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies, as part of agreeing to the terms and conditions of appointment. You can access this document at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/board-members-of-public-bodies-code-of-conduct’
There are also circumstances in which individuals may not be considered for appointment, due to them not meeting certain eligibility criteria for appointment. For further information, please refer to Section 2.3: Disqualification from Appointment.
CV
Please ensure your CV includes:
- Your full name, title, home address, personal contact telephone numbers (land line and mobile) and personal email address
- Similar contact details for two referees who will support your application. One referee should be the person to whom you are/were accountable in your current/most recent appointment or position of employment. Please indicate the relationship of each referee to you. References will be requested for short-listed candidates prior to interview
- Brief details of your current or most recent post and the dates you occupied this role. Please identify any past or present Ministerial appointments.
Fit and Proper Person Declaration
Non-executive directors of NHS Blood & Transplant are positions of significant public responsibility and it is important that those appointed can maintain the confidence of the public, patients and NHS staff. The Department of Health and Social Care has a duty to ensure that the non-executives we appoint are of good character and will ensure an open and honest culture across all levels of the organisation. The Fit and Proper Person Requirements are set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The Department of Health and Social Care is required to ensure that those it appoints to these roles meet these requirements.
Please complete the Declaration attached.
Monitoring form
Please complete the monitoring form. Diversity monitoring information will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel assessing your application.
Political activity information is primarily for monitoring purposes only, however if you are shortlisted for interview, this information will be shared with the selection panel. The reason for this is that it is appreciated that such activities may have given you relevant skills, including experience gained from committee work, collective decision-making, resolving conflict and public speaking. If you have had such experience and you consider it relevant to your application for this post, you should also take the opportunity to include it separately in your supporting statement. If possible, you should not, however, identify the relevant political party in your statement.
If you are appointed to this role, please note that any political activity you declare will be published in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme
The Department of Health and Social Care operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) for disabled people. The Equality Act 2010 defines a person as disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment and the impairment has a substantial and long term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day to day activities. Under the GIS a disabled candidate will be selected for interview if they meet the essential criteria for the post.
If you wish to apply under the GIS please complete the GIS form and return it with your application.
All applications will be acknowledged by email after the closing date.
Contacts:
For further information regarding the selection process, please contact:
Julia Peters, Appointments Team
Tel: 0113 2545350 or email: Julia.Peters@dh.gsi.gov.uk
For further information regarding the role of the NHSBT and the role of a NED please contact:
Katherine Robinson
Tel: 07872 636743 or email: katherine.robinson@nhsbt.nhs.uk
Please quote reference SP18-21 on all correspondence.
If you choose to apply, we would like to thank you in advance for your time and effort in making an application.