About this role
Job summary
This is an opportunity to lead a subsidiary Board operating at the intersection of patient care, professional regulation, public value and commercial sustainability. The Chair will help the Board maintain rigorous oversight, constructive challenge and clear accountability while building an effective relationship with Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust as Shareholder.
We are looking for an inspiring Board leader who will champion patient safety and service quality, bring thoughtful scrutiny to performance, and help the company convert good ideas into sustainable improvements for patients, colleagues and the NHS.
You will have the opportunity to create the conditions in which the Board and executive team can do their best work. The role calls for independent judgement, constructive relationships and a confident understanding of the distinction between governance and management.
For a copy of the candidate information pack, or for an informal discussion about the company and role, please contact [email protected]
Main duties of the job
- The appointed Chair will be expected to form a well-evidenced view of the companys strategic position, relationships, assurance and Board effectiveness. Early priorities are likely to include:
- Building trusted relationships with Board members, the executive team and the Shareholder.
- Understanding service quality, patient experience, workforce, financial performance, principal risks and regulatory obligations.
- Clarifying the Boards appetite for growth and innovation, and the evidence required to assess opportunities.
About us
RSCH Pharmacy Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust. It provides outpatient pharmacy services and operates within an NHS group, combining a public-service purpose with the disciplines of a commercial company.
The company Board is responsible for stewardship of the business, including strategy, quality and safety, workforce, finance, risk, performance and regulatory assurance. The Shareholder retains formal rights and reserved decisions under the groups governance arrangements.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Chair will bring the Board together around a clear and ambitious agenda, enabling executives to succeed while ensuring decisions balance patient safety, colleague experience, financial sustainability, reputation and delivery.
Principal responsibilities will be
- Provide visible, independent and values-led leadership to the Board.
- Create an inclusive Board culture in which challenge is welcomed, different perspectives are heard and decisions are clear.
- Ensure the Board focuses on strategy, quality and safety, performance, risk, internal control and long-term sustainability.
- Use agendas, information and assurance effectively, including the Board Assurance Framework or an equivalent assurance framework.
- Support and constructively challenge executive leadership, maintaining a clear distinction between governance and management.
- Lead Board and committee effectiveness, succession planning, composition, skills development and periodic evaluation.
- Build an effective relationship with Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust as Shareholder while safeguarding the subsidiary Boards responsibilities and independence of judgement.
- Ensure timely escalation and proportionate assurance on matters of material concern or reserved Shareholder interest.
- Promote patient-centred service development, digital transformation and sustainable growth, with appropriate safeguards.
- Champion equality, diversity, inclusion and action to reduce health inequalities.
- Maintain high standards of integrity, openness, accountability and public-service conduct.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- No particular professional qualification is required; candidates will be assessed against the experience, judgement, values and essential criteria set out in the advert and candidate application pack.
Experience
Essential
- Substantial Board-level leadership and evidence of chairing an effective, inclusive Board or senior forum.
- Independent judgement, courage and the ability to support and challenge executives constructively.
- Experience of Board development, including Board and committee effectiveness, succession planning, composition and skills, and effective use of a Board Assurance Framework or equivalent.
- Understanding of directors duties, company governance, assurance, risk, internal control and the distinction between governance and management.
- Strong commercial, financial and performance literacy, including scrutiny of margins, cash, investment choices and value for an NHS Shareholder.
- Commitment to patient safety, quality, accessibility, customer experience and NHS values.
- Experience of complex stakeholder relationships and the ability to navigate legitimate tensions between a subsidiary and its Shareholder.
- A visible commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and reducing health inequalities.
- High standards of integrity, openness, accountability and public-service conduct.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details
Employer name
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Egerton Road
Guildford
Surrey
GU2 7XX
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.royalsurrey.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)