Appointment details

Members of the Human Tissue Authority (HTA)

Summary

• Organisation: Human Tissue Authority
• Sponsor department: Department of Health and Social Care
• Location: Various
• Sectors: Health and Social Care
• Skills: Audit and Risk, Technology / Digital, Transformation
• Number of vacancies: 4
• Time commitment: 3 day(s) per month
• Remuneration: £7883 per annum
• Length of term: Ministers determine that the length of the appointment will be up to 3 years.
• Application deadline: Midday on 13 January 2025

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   16 December 2024

2. Application deadline

   Midday on 13 January 2025

3. Sifting date

   31 January 2025

4. Interviews expected to end on

   28 February 2025

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction from the Chair

Dear applicant,

Thank you for your interest in the role of Board Member of the Human Tissue Authority. These are important and demanding times for the health sector, for innovation in the life sciences and for issues about public trust and professional confidence. Consequently, our role as the regulator for the ethical use of human tissue has never been more vital. 

We and the other regulators in the health system and the life sciences are increasingly collaborating to find ways of sharing data and our understanding of risk as well as developing shared services for support systems such as finance, IT and HR. We have co-located with many of the other regulators which is enabling us to develop our focus on joint working.

Together we are developing our ability to learn about new approaches to digitally enabled inspection and assurance as well as discussing wider developments in regulation and the life sciences and issues of joint concern about patient safety and public confidence.

Our new Board Members will have opportunities to be part of shaping the HTA’s future activities. They will also have some challenges: grasping the potential for improvement as a result of greater collaboration; the potential of even greater risk-based regulation and data-driven intelligence; increasing the diversity of our workforce; support for the life sciences; maintaining trust and confidence in our work, and responding to the increased public interest in the post-mortem sector are just a few of these challenges. 

As a non-executive Board Member, you will also be able to encourage joint ways of developing the expertise and skills of our staff, inform our engagement with our varied stakeholders and reinforce our commitments to equality and inclusion. 

If you have the skills and expertise to undertake the role of a Board Member and if you would enjoy the opportunity to contribute to our work at a very important time, I do hope you will consider applying for one of these important positions.

Lynne Berry CBE

Chair, Human Tissue Authority

December 2024

Appointment description

Ministers are seeking to appoint 4 new members to the Human Tissue Authority (HTA), one of which will be responsible for Chairing the HTA Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC).

Remuneration will be £7,883 per annum, with the ARAC Chair receiving £13,137 per annum, for a time commitment of 2 to 3 days per month. 

As a Member of the HTA you will:

• support the Chair in setting the strategic direction of HTA, encouraging and enabling the HTA to be a first-class regulator of human tissue
• support the Chair in developing HTA in-line with the organisation’s strategic aims while maintaining a positive, constructive and appropriate relationship with its stakeholders to ensure confidence in the work of HTA 
• provide an independent view, a substantive contribution, and constructive challenge at Board meetings and sub committees
• monitor the performance of HTA’s Executive, holding it to account for the delivery of HTA’s business plan, HM Treasury and Department of Health and Social Care requirements

Organisation description

The HTA’s key priority is to maintain public and professional confidence in the removal, storage and use of human tissue by ensuring that these activities are undertaken safely and ethically, and with proper consent. 

The HTA was established as an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body on 1 April 2005 under the Human Tissue Act 2004. It also acts as a Competent Authority in relation to EU legislation covering tissues and cells used in patient treatment, and organ donation and transplantation.

The HTA licences organisations that remove, store and use human tissue and organs for purposes such as research, transplantation, post-mortem examination, anatomical examination and public display, as set out in its governing legislation. 

The HTA publishes Codes of Practice and Standards relating to the conduct of activities within its remit and superintends compliance with standards through a risk-based programme of audit and inspection. It also plays a regulatory role in living organ donation, ensuring that valid consent is given, and no coercion or reward takes place. 

The HTA’s remit under the Human Tissue Act extends to England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It also carries out some functions (in relation to EU legislation, regulating living donation, and keeping of registers), on behalf of the Scottish Government. Since December 2015, the Human Transplantation (Wales) Act 2013 has governed consent for organ and tissue donation in Wales, for which the HTA has produced a Code of Practice and oversees compliance. 

In addition to its roles in licensing, inspection, and approving living organ donations, the HTA has a statutory duty to provide advice and guidance to the public, and professionals, on activities within its remit. It also has a duty to monitor developments and advise the Secretary of State, and counterparts in devolved administrations, on related issues. 

As a regulator, the HTA seeks to work with stakeholders to encourage improvement, remaining accessible and responsive to a changing environment and the needs of the organisations it regulates. It is regarded as being in a unique position to comment and offer guidance on challenging issues which fall on the edge of its regulatory remit 

The HTA works closely with other regulators and industry to ensure that regulation supports innovation, whilst protecting public confidence. In the context of Government focus on its industrial strategy and the life sciences, HTA has identified various opportunities for improving the current legislative framework. This will become ever more necessary as the technology and science moves on and regulation will need to remain apace. 

The Authority’s Chair and Members are appointed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The Chair and half of the members are lay, with the remainder being professionals drawn from some of the groups who are affected by the legislation. 

Business Plan and Strategy: https://www.hta.gov.uk/about-hta/corporate-publications/business-plan-and-strategy

Guidance for Professionals: https://www.hta.gov.uk/guidance-professionals   

Guidance for the Public: https://www.hta.gov.uk/guidance-public

Board composition

Board meetings are held 2 Redman Place, London E20 1JQ.

Upcoming meeting dates: 6 March, 26 June, 18 September, and 4 December 2025.

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:

• commitment to the objectives of HTA and with the interest and drive to make a real contribution to the Board
• ability to provide effective scrutiny and challenge to the Executive and to hold them to account for the delivery of performance and the delivery of its strategy
• ability to think strategically and to exercise sound judgement on complex and sensitive issues
• the highest standards of personal propriety in relation to governance, accountability, risk and financial management

In addition, to complement the existing skills of Authority members, we are particularly looking for candidates who bring skills and experience in one or more of the following areas:

• understanding of the post mortem sector, especially of strategic issues related to post mortems in hospitals and mortuaries;
• understanding and experience of organ transplantation, haematology or anatomy or other relevant clinical expertise;
• ethics expertise with the ability to bring in religious perspectives, or a faith background with the ability to bring a range of ethical perspectives;
• professional experience in any of the sectors regulated by HTA;
• a technology expert familiar with modern digital technology and data management techniques, cyber security and AI at a Board oversight level;

For the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee Chair:

• experience in overseeing organisations through significant transformation with 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 or audit management.

Application and selection process

How to apply

In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in on the 'Apply for a public appointment' website.

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: Publicappointments - 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 Ralph Cabrega on ralph.cabrega@dhsc.gov.uk or 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: 

• Amanda Davies, DHSC senior sponsor for HTA, as panel Chair
• Lynne Berry, Chair of HTA, as panel Member
• Tom Fowler, Deputy National Director of Public Health Wales, as the 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 advise, please contact Rachael Gingell at rachael.gingell@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 ‘essential 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

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder.

1. Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

2. Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

3. Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

4. Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

5. Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

6. Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

7. Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

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 ten years in any one post. 

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 public appointments team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at rachael.gingell@dhsc.gov.uk. They 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.

Contact details

For further information regarding the role of the Human Tissue Authority and the role of a Member please contact:

Jacky Cooper, DHSC Head of Ethics of Consent and Human Tissue Policy

Tel:  0113 254 5446

Email:  jacky.cooper@dhsc.gov.uk

For any queries about your application status or the selection process, please contact: 

Ralph Cabrega, in DHSC’s Honours and ALB Public Appointments Unit:

Tel:  0113 254 5481

Email: ralph.cabrega@dhsc.gov.uk 

Attachments

• Candidate information pack