Announcements (Archive)

Non-Executive Directors of the NHS Counter Fraud Authority (VAC-1704)

Body
NHS Counter Fraud Authority
Appointing Department
Department of Health and Social Care
Sector
Health and Social Care
Location
London/Various
Number of Vacancies
3
Remuneration
The NEDs are remunerated at the standard rate of £7,883 per annum
Time Requirements
Two to three days per month.

Campaign Timeline

  1. Competition Launched

    17/12/2020

  2. Closed for Applications

    19/01/2021 at Midday

  3. Panel Sift

    05/02/2021

  4. Final Interview Date

    05/03/2021

  5. Announcement

    07/04/2021 at 15:00

Announcement

An announcement has been made on the outcome of this appointment.

NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) Alyson Coates, Andrew Flanagan and Gaon Hart have been appointed as Non-Executive Directors of the NHS Counter Fraud Authority from 12 April 2021 until 30 October 2023, subject to security clearance. 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 annum. 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. 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. Alyson Coates, Andrew Flanagan and Gaon Hart have not declared any political activity.

Date: 07/04/2021

View Announcement

Assessment Panel

Panel Member
Paul Golightly
Added
17/12/2020
Panel Role
Panel Chair
Positions
DHSC senior sponsor for NHSCFA (panel chair) Departmental Official
Show more information
Political ActivityNone
Notes-
Panel Member
Tom Taylor
Added
17/12/2020
Panel Role
Panel Chair
Positions
Chair of NHSCFA Representative of Organisation
Show more information
Political ActivityNone
Notes-
Panel Member
Dawn Hallett, Deputy Director of HMRC Fraud Investigation Service
Added
17/12/2020
Positions
Deputy Director of HMRC Fraud Investigation Service Independent Member
Show more information
Political ActivityNone
Notes-

Vacancy Description

Introduction

Ministers are seeking to make up to 3 appointments to the board of the NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA).

The NHSCFA board is responsible for providing strategic leadership for the organisation and ensuring we are able to account to Parliament and the public on how we deliver our functions. Information on objectives and the services provided can be found at https://cfa.nhs.uk/about-nhscfa/what-we-do

Role and Responsibilities of a Non-Executive Director

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.

As a Non-Executive Director of the NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA), you will be responsible for ensuring the sound governance of the NHSCFA, including ensuring robust and effective systems of financial control and risk management are in place. Along with the Non-Executive team, you will contribute to the development of the strategy and annual objectives to be approved by the Secretary of State.

You will role model the Seven Principles of Public Life, also known as the ‘Nolan principles’. You will also ensure that the NHSCFA promotes the values of the NHS by setting a high standard for ethics and responsible business, and by building, maintaining and enhancing NHSCFA’s reputation as an open and independent body that places a high priority upon the safety of patients and staff.

You will play a key role in ensuring that the organisation is focused upon providing excellent services and good value for money and enables the NHSCFA to contribute to the wider aims of the NHS where appropriate. You will provide appropriate challenge, scrutiny and support at Board level, ensuring that the Authority learns from things that can go wrong in the NHS and shares that learning, to improve patient safety and the standard of care.

Key responsibilities

 Strategy

  • Develop and promote the strategic focus of the NHSCFA through constructive debate and challenge at Board level
  • Support the maintenance and development of effective relationships with external stakeholders, including member organisations and partner bodies in the health and social care system. Where appropriate, to act as a good ambassador for the NHSCFA
  • Help to strengthen the reputation of the NHSCFA through ensuring that it provides timely and relevant expertise to the NHS

 Performance

  • Ensure the Board acts in the best interests of the public and other stakeholders and is fully accountable for the services provided and the expenditure of public funds
  • Set ambitious targets for all aspects of the NHSCFA’s work to ensure that it delivers high quality services, decision making and advice

People

  • Ensure that the NHSCFA has appropriate policies to promote the interests and training of its staff, so that they can provide an excellent service to customers
  • Ensure that the NHSCFA develops and maintains strong working relationships with the Department of Health, other health arms-length bodies and other stakeholders at all levels.

Person Specification

Qualities required for the role of a 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.

Essential Criteria

  • The ambition and ability to both challenge and support the NHSCFA to make a significant impact in protecting the NHS from fraud, bribery and corruption
  • Sound judgment, with an ability to analyse often complex and conflicting information and to draw a balanced conclusion
  • Excellent communication skills and with the ability to gain the confidence of senior stakeholders
  • First class team-working skills and the willingness to work in a corporate manner to ensure the NHSCFA delivers its objectives.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

This post is subject to an exception order under the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This stipulates that all previous convictions, including those that are ‘spent’ must be declared. Previous convictions will not necessarily preclude an individual from appointment but must be declared in writing at the appropriate stage during the recruitment process.

Post holders must hold or be prepared to undergo Security Clearance vetting.

Additional Information

Message from the Chair, NHS Counter Fraud Authority

Dear candidate,

Thank you for your interest in this exciting and challenging role at the NHSCFA. The NHSCFA is a Special Health Authority, which Parliament has just unanimously extended for a further three years. You will be joining a successful Board of Non-Executive and Executive Directors who are passionate about their work.

Fraud in the healthcare system not only undermines public confidence in the NHS but also diverts valuable resources away from front line healthcare at a time when we need every penny more than ever, as the NHS responds to the greatest challenge it has faced since its creation, the COVID 19 pandemic.

The NHSCFA was created as an independent special health authority to focus entirely on counter fraud work. It is a centre of excellence employing specialists in intelligence, fraud prevention, computer forensics, fraud investigation, financial investigation, data analysis and communications – all working together to detect, reduce and deter economic crime targeting the NHS. You will work with other Board members to lead, support and drive the organisation to ensure that valuable financial resources go where they are intended, towards the best possible patient care.

The NHSCFA’s Departmental sponsor is the Department of Health and Social Care Anti-Fraud Unit, which holds the NHSCFA Board to account for the delivery of its strategy on behalf of the Secretary of State.

This is a brilliant time to be joining NHSCFA as we launch our new three year Strategy to lead and proactively support the NHS to understand, find, prevent and respond to fraud.

Tom Taylor FCCA FCPFA FCMI FIoD FHFMA

Chair, NHS Counter Fraud Authority

NHS Counter Fraud Authority role and responsibilities

The NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) is a Special Health Authority, was created under section 28 of the National Health Service Act 2006 and established on 1 November 2017, under The NHS Counter Fraud Authority (Establishment, Constitution, and Staff and Other Transfer Provisions) Order 2017. It carries out the Secretary of State’s counter fraud functions in respect of the health service in England.

With a resource of around 163 full time staff, for 2019/20, the arms-length body (ALB) received an indicative non-ringfenced revenue budget allocation of £11.327 million. This is in contrast to tackling counter fraud for which the NHSCFA Strategic Intelligence Assessment 2020 estimates that the annual loss, to the NHS in England, to fraud is £1.21 billion.

The NHSCFA Board is responsible for providing strategic leadership for the organisation and ensuring that the ALB are able to account to Parliament and the public on how it delivers its functions.  The NHSCFA has recently published its Annual report and Accounts 2019/20.

The current NHSCFA strategy covers the period of 2017 – 2020 and will soon publish a new strategy, setting out the organisations’ priorities, for the next 3 years.

Links to further information

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-1704 in the subject field.

If you are unable to apply by email please contact:

Daniel Clemence on 0113 2545335

Applications must be received by midday on 19 January 2021.

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 NHSCFA, 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 NHSCFA or cause public confidence in the appointment to be jeopardised, it is important that you bring them to the attention of the Advisory 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.

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 role of the NHSCFA and the role of a NED please contact:

Name:  Jane Robinson

Tel:      020 7210 4852

Email:  Jane.Robinson@dhsc.gov.uk

For further information regarding the selection process, please contact

Daniel Clemence

Appointments Team

Tel:  0113 2545335

Email: Daniel.Clemence@dhsc.gov.uk

Please quote reference VAC-1704 on all correspondence.