Non-Executive Directors – NHS Blood and Transplant (VAC-1678)
- Body
- NHS Blood and Transplant
- Appointing Department
- Department of Health and Social Care
- Sector
- Health and Social Care
- Location
- London
- Number of Vacancies
- 3
- Remuneration
- NHSBT NEDs are remunerated at the standard rate of £7,883 per annum
- Time Requirements
- Two to three days per month.
Campaign Timeline
-
Competition Launched
28/10/2019
-
Closed for Applications
17/12/2019 at 12:00
-
Panel Sift
February 2020
-
Final Interview Date
24/25 February 2020
-
Announcement
22/05/2020 at 15:00
Announcement
An announcement has been made on the outcome of this appointment.
Professor Deirdre Kelly has been appointed as a non-executive director of NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) for 3 years from 1 July 2020.
Jeremy Monroe’s appointment as a non-executive director of NHSBT has been extended for 8 months until 10 February 2021.
The 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 year.
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.
The 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. Neither have declared any political activity.
Date: 22/05/2020
Assessment Panel
- Panel Member
- Mark Davies
- Added
- 28/10/2019
- Panel Role
- Panel Chair
- Positions
- DHSC Director of Population Health Departmental Official
Show more information
| Political Activity | None Declared |
|---|---|
| Notes | - |
- Panel Member
- Millie Banerjee CBE
- Added
- 28/10/2019
- Positions
- Chair of NHS Blood and Transplant Representative of Organisation
Show more information
| Political Activity | None Declared |
|---|---|
| Notes | - |
- Panel Member
- Moira Rankin
- Added
- 28/10/2019
- Positions
- Independent panel member Independent Member
Show more information
| Political Activity | Non |
|---|---|
| Notes | - |
Vacancy Description
Ministers are seeking to make three appointments to the board of NHS Blood and Transplant.
Role and Responsibilities of a Non-Executive Director
As a Non-Executive Director, you will work with the Chair (Millie Banerjee); other non-executives; and the Chief Executive and her 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. 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
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.
- ability to operate effectively on the board of a large and complex national organisation, contributing to challenging debate and working with others to reach decisions based on evidence and consensus
- ability to develop and deliver robust governance arrangements, including performance, financial and risk management
- an understanding of the broad role of NHSBT with an ability to articulate some of its key challenges
- experience of supporting effective delivery of substantial transformation in a private or public sector organisation
- have a significant career record of achievement and be able to demonstrate how your skills and experience can be used to the benefit of NHSBT, in one or more of the following areas:
- a clinician, working in the field of organ donation and transplantation
- an experienced scientist, who can bring relevant expertise in science/ science research to support the development of NHSBT and its services
- a strong track record in communications, marketing and working collaboratively with others to deliver successful outcomes in addition to the Essential Criteria, experience in organisational development and people/HR would be beneficial for one of the appointments.
Additional Information
2019/20 Board meeting dates:
- Thursday, 28 November 2019
- Thursday, 30 January 2020
- Thursday, 26 March 2020
- Thursday, 28 May 2020
- Thursday, 23 July 2020
- Thursday, 24 September 2020
- Thursday, 26 November 2020
Letter from Millie Banerjee, Chair
Dear Applicant
Thank you for your interest in the role of Non-Executive Director for NHS Blood and Transplant. At NHSBT we stand for hope. We stand for life. We stand for helping people do something extraordinary, saving and improving the lives of others. As an essential part of the NHS we take pride in playing our part to make the most of absolutely every donation – from blood and organs to tissues and stem cells. Every day we bring our values of caring, expert and quality to our roles. When we break new scientific ground, when we connect with donors and families, when we help to save a life – it’s because of each and every one of us. The donors who make our work possible do so selflessly, giving life and changing lives for the better. It is because of them, and the people who need their life-saving and life-enhancing donations, that we strive to be the best in all we do.
You will be joining us at an exciting and challenging time. Our Chief Executive, Betsy Bassis, joined us in March 2019 and she is currently leading a review of our Operating Model ensuring that we are set for future success. This builds on NHSBT’s strong record of continuous improvement, quality and efficiency which is essential as the NHS is facing increasing pressure.
This really is a fantastic role. If you are successful, I can promise you will enjoy your time at NHSBT as much as I enjoy my role as Chair of NHSBT.
Please visit our website at http://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/ for more information about our organisation.
NHS Blood and Transplant 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 £427 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 1.57 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 9,300 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 25 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, Ministers and devolved administrations.
In 2018/19, our donors provided:
- 1.57 million units of blood,
- 5,000 organs,
- 7,800 tissue donations, and
- 953 banked cord blood units. To find out more information about NHSBT please visit our corporate website at https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/
- To find out more about the journey of donors please click here to go to our website to view some helpful videos.
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 information about NHSBT please visit our corporate website at https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/
To find out more about the journey of donors please click here to go to our website to view some helpful videos.
Financial Performance
We track our financial performance across three key areas: Blood, Organ Donation and Transplantation, and Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services.
Blood: The Directorate has continued to respond extremely well to the sustained reduction in red cell demand that has seen demand fall by a further 1.7% in 2018/19. We continue to be proud of the fact that prices for red cells in 2019/20 will be lower than they were in 2007/08, despite inflation, investing in higher safety and availability and a 23% reduction in red cell demand over that period. In aggregate the cost of red cells supplied to the NHS in 2019/20 is forecast to be circa £57m pa lower than they were in 2007/08.
Organ Donation and Transplantation: There were 1,600 deceased donors in 2018/19 (2017/18 1,574), 1.65% higher than 2017/18. However, there were only 3,953 deceased transplants in 2018/19 (2017/18 4,039), up by 2.1%. This has established a new annual record for the number of deceased donors in the UK although the number of deceased transplants has fallen for the first time.
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services: Income in 2018/19 at £81.3m (2017/18 £75.0m) was 8.4% higher than last year. This was driven by increased activity in Therapeutic Apheresis Services (up 15%), Tissue and Eye Services (up 15%) and Red Cell Immunohaematology (up 6%).
You can view our full annual reports and accounts here at: https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/who–weare/transparency/accounts/
Inclusion
There is a real commitment from NHSBT’s Board to ensure we are delivering on our Inclusion objectives of making NHSBT an organisation where all colleagues feel they can get on, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, disability and/or other differences. Testament to this is that one of the five personal objectives for our CEO, agreed with our Board is to improve the diversity of our workforce.
A bi-annual update provided to the Board ensures all interventions are monitored and progressed and provide an opportunity to highlight areas that need more focus. Alongside this, an annual Diversity & Inclusion work plan tracks and monitors a set of workforce objectives which have been developed to ensure we progress with making NHSBT a more diverse and inclusive workplace.
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.
Working with Millie Banerjee (Chair) and Betsy Bassis (CEO) and a highly experienced executive team to implement our expansive vision, you will have the opportunity to take us forward beyond our current Strategic Plan 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, ensuring existing operations remain fit for the future alongside effective collaboration with our partners.
You will be joining us at an exciting and challenging time. 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 operational 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
To make an application please email your CV, a supporting letter and completed monitoring forms to:
appointments.team@dhsc.gov.uk – please quote VAC-1678 in the subject field.
If you are unable to apply by email you may send your application by post to:
Kully Kanda, Department of Health and Social Care, Room 1N09, Quarry House, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UE
Applications must be received by midday on 17th December 2019.
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 specific 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 NHS Blood and Transplant, 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 on 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 (including any convictions or bankruptcy) that could, if you were appointed, be misconstrued, cause embarrassment to Ministers or NHS Blood and Transplant 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 and blogs. Due Diligence may be carried out on any publicly available information and shared with the Advisory Assessment Panel.
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
If you wish to discuss any queries on conflicts, please see the contacts section.
CV
Please ensure your CV includes:
- Your full name, title, home address, personal contact telephone numbers (land line and mobile), personal email address and details of any twitter accounts and LinkedIn accounts including your twitter handle/username.
- 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
Kully Kanda
Appointments Team
Tel: 0113 2546138
Email: Kuldeep.Kanda@dhsc.gov.uk
For further information regarding the role of NHS Blood and Transplant and the role of a NED please contact:
Katherine Robinson
Tel: 07872636743
Email: Katherine.robinson@nhsbt.nhs.uk
Please quote reference VAC-1678 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.