Digital Boards - supportign the digital transformation agenda

Digital Boards
NHS Providers June 2021

• A programme to support boards in leading the digital transformation agenda. Delivered in partnership with Public Digital and supported by Health Education England and NHSX as part of their Digital Readiness Programme, the Digital Boards programme is free and available to all provider trusts.
• Includes Digital Leadership Guides; events and a Knowledge Hub. 
• The Knowledge Hub includes Digital Boards: Digital download - a summary of findings around digital inclusion and highlights practical tips for NHS Board Leaders.

Guardians of public interest: the expectation and experience of non-executive directors in National Health Service commissioning boards in England.

Guardians of public interest: the expectation and experience of non-executive directors in National Health Service commissioning boards in England.
J Health Organ Manag. 2020 Nov 6. doi: 10.1108/JHOM-10-2019-0306. 

• How Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) in the NHS commissioning bodies experienced their role and contribution to governance based on semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 31 NEDs of Primary Care Trusts and 8 CCG NEDs.

Chairing more than one trust board

Chairing more than one trust board
NHS Providers 12 March 2020

• This report highlights the potential benefits and risks of sharing a board chair across more than one provider trust.

Chairs and non-executives in the NHS: The need for diverse leadership

Chairs and non-executives in the NHS: The need for diverse leadership
NHS Confederation 6 June 2019

• This report examines the arrangements for the recruitment and appointment of chairs and nonexecutives within the NHS (NHS non-executives include chairs and non-executives). The progress and gains made in the early 2000s towards a more diverse board leadership in NHS trusts has gone into reverse or made no progress. Chairs and non-executive directors are often not representative of the communities they serve and the staff they govern.

We still need to talk about boards

We still need to talk about boards
NHS Providers May 2019

• This briefing sets out NHS Providers' rationale for board leadership now and in the future. It argues that board leadership and sound local accountability are critical in managing risk, and must remain a key component of system working.

Kark review of the fit and proper persons test

A review of the fit and proper persons test
DHSC 6 February 2019

• The current fit and proper persons test is designed to ensure that senior staff who are responsible for quality and safety of care are fit and proper to be in their roles.
• This review, which was led by Tom Kark QC, sets out 7 recommendations, including:
• developing competencies for directors
• making a central database of directors’ qualifications, training and appraisals
• expanding the definition of serious misconduct
• The test applies to directors in the NHS, the independent healthcare sector and the adult social care sector.
• In a speech to healthcare professionals at the Royal Society of Medicine,  Matt Hancock accepted the recommendations that all directors must meet minimum competency standards to sit on the board of any health organisation, and for a central directors’ database where information about qualifications and employment history can be easily accessed. These recommendations will be implemented immediately. Other recommendations will be considered for future implementation.

Clinical leadership — a framework for action

Clinical leadership — a framework for action
NHS Improvement 31 January 2019

• This guide provides a framework for action, to help leaders working on clinical leadership gain new perspectives on what might be standing in the way of progress, sets out legal and policy considerations, and poses key questions for senior leaders trying to increase the involvement of clinicians at board level. 
• It includes vignettes that show how people are already tackling some common barriers and a compendium of case studies (all relate to acute or community trusts).

Kark Review of the Fit and Proper Persons Requirement

Kark Review of the Fit and Proper Persons Requirement
Department of Health and Social Care 20 July 2018

• The Kark Review, led by Tom Kark QC, will look at how effective the Fit and Proper Persons Requirement is in preventing unsuitable staff from being redeployed or re-employed in the NHS,  CCGs, and independent healthcare and adult social care sectors.

Infographic highlighting work of executive commissioning nurses

NHSCC infographic highlights the value executive commissioning nurses

NHS Clinical Commissioners 27 June 2018

• CCGs are required to include a registered nurse on their governing body to expand the clinical knowledge and patient experience of the board. 
• Developed by the NHSCC Nurses’ Forum and based on interviews with its members, this infographic highlights the areas in which executive commissioning nurses bring value.

NHS workforce race equality: a case for diverse boards

NHS workforce race equality: a case for diverse boards
NHS England 12 March 2018

• This report highlights the importance of inclusive boards in the NHS (including CCGs) and provides guidance on working towards creating inclusive cultures.

Changes in board leadership and governance in acute hospitals since Francis

Responses to Francis: changes in board leadership and governance in acute hospitals in England since 2013
Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham, 1 February 2018

• The Francis Inquiry concluded that the board at Mid Staffs Hospital had failed in its duty to monitor, understand, and respond to warning signs about poor care. This report sets out findings from a national survey of all NHS hospital board members in England, and case study research in six hospital trusts into changes in Board leadership and governance.
• The research found that many trusts had revised their policies on handling and responding to complaints, and on the investigation, reporting and learning from incidents. Likewise, many had developed new and enhanced approaches to staff engagement, ‘speaking up’ (or whistle-blowing), something that we know from prior research is linked with a healthy hospital culture likely to enable safer and higher quality care.

Checklist for professional development of CCG lay members

Checklist for professional development of CCG lay members
NHS Clinical Commissioners Lay Members Network November 2017

• This checklist for development of CCG lay members covers appraisals, professional development, career development opportunities and planning for the future.

The non-executive community in transformational change

Supporting change in your NHS : The non-executive community in transformational change
NHS Clinical Commissioners 28 November 2017

• A summary of discussions held at events that brought together CCG lay members and trust non-executive directors (NEDs) which focused on how they can contribute to the integration and transformation of their local health communities.
• The publication looks at attendees’:
• perspectives on the lay member and NED role
• insights on current system change
• views on the next steps for lay members, NEDs and health and care organisations.

The non-executive director’s guide to NHS data – Hospital activity, data sets and performance

The non-executive director’s guide to NHS data – Part one: Hospital activity, data sets and performance
NHS Confederation October 2017

• This is the first of a series of briefings unpacking data across the healthcare system. 
• It is aimed at NEDs in the acute care sector and examines activity in both primary and secondary care settings and considers the role of data sharing in bringing about efficiency savings.

Checklist for induction and training of CCG lay members

Checklist for induction and training of CCG lay members
NHS Clinical Commissioners 4 September 2017

• A checklist to support CCGs with induction and training of lay members.
• The checklist looks at induction, mentoring and buddying, networking and ongoing and further training.

Governing for transformation: STPs and governance

Governing for transformation: STPs and governance
Hempsons and NHS Providers November 2016

• This report sets the context for STPs, identifies the challenges for organisations, examines the role of the board and addresses the constraints of current legislation.
• It includes a template memorandum of understanding which STP partners may wish to adapt for use in their local area.

The role of the nurse on the CCG governing body

The role of the nurse on the CCG governing body
NHS Clinical Commissioners 26 May 2016

• This report highlights how the role of nurses on CCG governing body has changed over time, empowering them to make more of a difference for their local patients and populations. It reveals how many CCGs are now employing full time chief or executive nurses with responsibility for the day-to-day running of an element of the organisation, going beyond the legal requirement for a registered nurse to sit on their governing body. 
• It includes a number of case studies and makes recommendations for national organisations and CCGs themselves on how they can support the commissioning nurse to be as effective as possible.

Maximising the lay member role in CCGs

Maximising the lay member role in CCGs
NHS Clinical Commissioners, 19 January 2016

• A guide to support CCG leaders, board members, and the wider system, to gain the maximum benefit from the contributions of their lay members.
• The publication sets out a number of top tips and opportunities to support maximising the lay member role in CCGs – including.
• CCGs should ensure that lay members are given comprehensive inductions
• CCGs should provide job descriptions that clearly specify the essential and core duties of lay members and associated time commitments
• NHS England, the Department of Health and other national decision makers should consider and develop appropriate national training, resources, and development packages for lay members.
• Lay members should seek feedback from other governing body members on how they see their performance to ensure their ongoing development and career progression.

Unpacking the complexity of CCG structures

Complexity in the new NHS:longitudinal case studies of CCGs in England
BMJ Open 7 January 2016;6:e010199

• Through case studies in CCGs across England, using interviews, observation and documentary analysis this study highlights the complexity inherent in CCGs arising out of the relatively permissive environment in which they developed. Not only are they very different from one another in size, but also in structure, functions between different bodies and the roles played by GP. 
• The study also suggests that there is little consensus as to what being a ‘membership’ organisation means and how it should operate.

What every healthcare director needs to know about patient safety

What every healthcare director needs to know about patient safety
Good Governance Institute, November 2015

• An updated report helping existing and new board members understand what the key challenges are for healthcare boards on ensuring and improving safety for their patients.