Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.
Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.
We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.
To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone.
Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.
Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.
LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.
We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham. Are you passionate about good governance, confident working with senior leaders, and ready to play a pivotal role at the heart of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust?
We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Head of Board Governance to join our team. This is an important role, supporting the effective operation of our Trust Board and Committees, and ensuring we meet our statutory and regulatory responsibilities with integrity and transparency.
You'll work closely with the Chief of Staff and senior leaders across the organisation, providing expert advice on governance and compliance. You'll also manage the Trust's governance frameworks, and help shape how we operate at the highest level.
This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys working collaboratively, and has a keen eye for detail. If you're looking to make a real impact and support the delivery of high-quality care through excellent corporate governance, we'd love to hear from you. Main duties of the job ·Work with the Chief of Staff, Chair and Trust Board on all issues relating to corporate governance, ensuring the Trust’s Corporate Affairs are undertaken to the highest standards of probity and according to statutory and legislative requirements
·Accountable to the Chief of Staff, to work with the Executive team, contributing to the delivery of corporate and statutory objectives and maintenance of the highest standards of prudence, propriety and regularity
·With support from the Risk and Governance Officer, service the Trust Board, Board Committees and Trust Management Executive Groups Working for our organisation Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations: Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
Improving the experience of staff with disability
Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
Making equalities mainstream Detailed job description and main responsibilities The role of the Head of Board Governance will be to:
·With the Chief of Staff, establish and refine procedures for the sound, integrated governance of the Trust and advise the Trust Board on developments in governance and other issues.
·Ensure that meetings of the Board, the Board of Directors and their Committees, run efficiently and effectively, that they are properly recorded and that Directors receive appropriate support.
·Provide administrative support relating to Board and Committee meetings and matters to the Chair and Board of Directors of the Trust. Ensuring common standards are applied across all committees supporting the governance arrangements.
·Line manage the Risk and Governance Officer, and working with this post-holder, provide administrative support to the Trust Management Executive Group by producing and planning agendas and minuting the meetings.
·Provide support as required to CEO Office Manager and the wider Executive Personal Assistant team.
·Provide administrative support to the Executive meetings, to ensure decisions and actions are captured accurately and disseminated appropriately.
·Maintain the register of Declarations of Interest, Gifts and Hospitality and annual Fit and Proper Persons checks.
·Ensure the accurate storage and maintenance of official Board Committee business records in safe, secure and retrievable systems.
·Provide a high quality, customer focused service ensuring that the Trust maintains high standards in relation to good practice and departmental quality standards.
·Support the appointment and induction of new Executive, and Non-Executive, Board Members.
·Ensure that there are Terms of Reference for Board, its Committees, the Executive Team, Management Executive Team and that they are reviewed at appropriate intervals, in accordance with the Trust’s Corporate Governance Manual.
·In the absence of the Director of Governance, provide information and advice to the Non- Executive and Executive Directors on Board business as appropriate, often of a complex and confidential nature.
·Accountable to produce a calendar of all Board and Committees, ensuring the meetings are scheduled to maximise timely flow of information to enable effective decision making.
·Ensure the regular evaluation of the effectiveness of the Board, its Committees, Members Group and other groups, incorporating a range of methods including self-assessment and independent review. Person specification Essential criteria • Professionally qualified or degree equivalent with evidence of post- graduate or continuing professional development to masters or equivalent level Desirable criteria Membership of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) Experience Essential criteria • Experience as a senior manager some of which will have been at Board level • Substantial track record of delivering in a senior leadership role • A minimum of 3 years' experience within a relevant field of work • Experience to have been gained working within a complex organisation • Track record of dealing effectively with business issues in a large organisation • Experience of serving Boards and Committees • Experience of working in an organisation under public and political scrutiny. • Able to demonstrate effective leadership of teams and individuals • Effective people management skills • Able to communicate effectively with effectively and confidently with Board Members and senior managers when dealing with matters that are sensitive in nature Desirable criteria Experience of working as a Company Secretary or in a senior governance role Broad in-depth experience of a management function such as finance or operational management. Knowledge and Skills Essential criteria • Detailed working knowledge of corporate governance legislation and best practice. • Understands the environment in which the Trust operates, its role in serving the public and patients, and its governance structure. • Strong sense of commitment to openness, honesty and high standards in undertaking the leadership role. Practices the highest levels of discretion • Detailed Knowledge of legal and regulatory requirements pertaining to Trust Boards • Able to think and act strategically and develop practical and creative solutions when dealing with issues • Methodical with high level organisational and administrative skills • Highly developed communications skills – interpersonal, facilitation, presentation and negotiation skills • Able to present well-reasoned and structured argument in order to influence and persuade others over whom the post holder may have no formal authority • A sound working knowledge of Microsoft Office tools, including WORD, PowerPoint, and Excel Desirable criteria High level of IT skills - able to input, extract, manipulate and present data Personal Qualities and Skills Essential criteria • High degree of personal integrity and probity • Good political awareness • Personal and professional demeanour that generates trust and confidence in others. • Able to work flexibly when required We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.
As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.
Please note that sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route is subject to Trust allocation and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approval. Applicant requirements The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions. Application numbersTo ensure fairness and manageable shortlisting processes, some vacancies may have an application cap. This means the vacancy will close once a set number of applications have been received even if this happens before the advertised closing date.
We recommend applying as early as possible to avoid missing out. All applications received before the cap is reached will be considered equally and assessed against the person specification.
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