In line with the Partnership between Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust (C&I) and Barnet, Enfield & Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust (BEH), closer working arrangements are being developed. As such, the Trusts are seeking to appoint a Joint Chair.
Below is more information on the role, its remit as well as further information on both organisations and their future ambitions.
Role of NHS Boards and Joint Chair
NHS Boards play a key role in shaping the strategy, vision, and purpose of an organisation. They hold the organisation to account for the delivery of strategy and ensure value for money. NHS Boards are also responsible for assuring that risks to the organisation and the public are managed and mitigated effectively. Led by an independent non-executive chair and composed of a mixture of both executive and independent non-executive members, the Board has a collective responsibility for the performance of the organisation.
Additionally for Foundation Trusts, the Council of Governors represents the needs and priorities of patients, service users, carers, staff, and local communities.
The purpose of NHS Boards is to govern effectively and in so doing build patient, service users, public and stakeholder confidence that their health and healthcare is in safe hands. This fundamental accountability to the public is delivered by building trust:
Joint Chair Role
To carry out the role effectively the Joint Chair will cultivate a strong, collaborative partnership with the Boards of both organisations, in particular building strong relationships with the Joint Chief Executive and Non-Executive Directors as well as with key external stakeholders in Camden, Islington, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey and the wider North Central London Integrated Care System (NCL ICS).
Many responsibilities in this role description will be discharged in partnership with the two Deputy Chairs and the Joint Chief Executive. It is important that the Joint Chair and Joint Chief Executive are clear about their individual roles, as well as their respective responsibilities towards their unitary Boards.
Working in partnership with the Joint Chief Executive, the Joint Chair will ensure that the Board has a strong vision and collaboration between both organisations and will act as a role model for a culture which is inclusive, respectful, and reflecting the Trusts’ vision and values in every interaction. The Joint Chair is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the population the Trusts serve and the wider systems in which the organisations sit receive the best possible care in a sustainable and integrated way.
Responsibilities of the Joint Chair
The Joint Chair has a unique role in overseeing the two unitary Boards and as a Foundation Trust, the Council of Governors at C&I. The role combines the duty to ensure effective governance, consistent with the Nolan principles and NHS values, whilst overseeing the delivery of a long-term vision and strategy for both organisations and the partnership between the two Trusts. The Joint Chair will enable both Trusts to harness the strengths of each other, sharing innovation and opening opportunities for greater collaboration for the benefit of the populations the Trusts serve. Fundamentally, the Joint Chair is responsible for the effective leadership of each Board and will be pivotal in creating the conditions necessary for the effectiveness of the two Boards, both collectively and individually.
Central to the Joint Chair’s role are the following key areas of responsibility:
At Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust (BEH) we provide integrated mental health and community health services to the people of North London, as well as some services regionally and nationally.
We employ more than 3,300 staff, which makes them us of the largest employers in the area. Last year we helped care for more than 126,000 people. In 2020-21, their income was £338 million.
BEH provides services for young people, adults, and older people from over 20 sites. We support people to overcome the hurdles they face with their health and well-being and help them get back into the community and to live as independently as they can. We follow an ‘enablement’ approach to providing care, which means BEH give people the skills they need to look after themselves with their support in the community. When they need a higher level of care, BEH provides that on their wards.
BEH provides a wide range of local and more specialist mental health services, including helping people with personality disorders, drug, and alcohol recovery, children’s mental health issues, dementia, eating disorders, learning disabilities, and suicide prevention.
We also run the North London Forensic Service (NLFS), which the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated as Outstanding. It treats and cares for people in the criminal justice system who have mental health conditions. NLFS is also embedded in Pentonville, Wormwood Scrubs, and Brixton prisons in London, and Springhill and Grendon prisons in Buckinghamshire.
In addition to delivering mental health care in these five adult prisons, we provide mental health services at Aylesbury young offenders’ institution. We are also the lead provider for a group of five trusts delivering secure forensic inpatient services in North London. This ‘New Models of Care’ partnership brings together regional providers of NHS England-commissioned specialist services in order to improve the quality of patient care.
In Enfield, we run a wide range of community health services for physical health difficulties, including district nursing, diabetic clinics, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, an award-winning Care Home Assessment Team, community paediatric nursing, and palliative care.
BEH Strategy
We developed our ‘Fit for the Future’ Trust Strategy in 2018-19, setting out the direction of travel for the next five years to ensure they meet the needs of their patients, staff, and community.
We updated our Trust Strategy in spring 2021 to reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and wider changes across the NHS nationally and locally. Their four Strategic Aims defined in their Trust Strategy are:
Annual Report
https://www.beh-mht.nhs.uk/news/annual-report-and-accounts-2020-21/1784
Board Papers
https://www.beh-mht.nhs.uk/trust-board-meetings-and-papers.htm
Trust Strategy
https://www.beh-mht.nhs.uk/downloads/About%20us/Publications/Trust-Strategy-Summary-A5-Stakeholders.pdf
Main Website
https://www.beh-mht.nhs.uk/
Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust (C&I) provides high quality, safe and innovative care to our patients in the community, in their homes or in hospital.
We provide services for adults of working age, adults with learning difficulties, and older people in the London area. We currently deliver the majority of our care to residents in the London Boroughs of Camden and Islington. However, we also provide a substance misuse and psychological therapies service to people living in Kingston.
Our Trust is also a member of University College London Partners (UCLP), one of the world’s leading academic health science partnerships.
In addition, we have specialist programmes which provide help and treatment for:
We are proud that our organisation is recognised internationally for the quality of its research and innovation. Over 40% of our consultants hold joint academic posts and are engaged in research across a wide range of mental health arenas. This research, often conducted with the help of our patients, ensures we are leaders in evidence based treatment and services, meaning we can provide some of the world’s most up to date therapies to aid service user recovery.
We are a lead provider for educational placements in north London, and work in partnership with local universities to deliver both education and research projects as well as creating together the workforce of the future. This provides a great environment for our staff to innovate and deliver projects which transform patient care.
Services
Our services are split into three divisions. This makes it easy for patients and GPs to access the right sort of care. Our three divisions are:
Annual Report
https://www.candi.nhs.uk/about-us/corporate-information/annual-report
Board Papers
https://www.candi.nhs.uk/about-us/corporate-information/publications-and-reports
Clinical Strategy
https://www.candi.nhs.uk/about-us/corporate-information/our-strategy-and-objectives/clinical-strategy
Main Website
https://www.candi.nhs.uk/
Our Partnership
North Central London Integrated Care System (NCL ICS)
To deliver the Long-Term Plan in North Central London, the ICS model has been developed to provide joined-up health and care that involves even closer collaboration between local NHS organisations, councils and other groups, such as charities and community groups. Together, the System will take collective responsibility for managing resources, delivering NHS standards, and improving the health and wellbeing of local people.
Our ICS will bring together:
By working together in this way it means we can:
Strategic Leadership
In their strategic leadership role, the Joint Chair is responsible for:
People and Culture
In the role of shaping organisational culture and setting the right tone at the top, the Joint Chair is responsible for:
Capacity and Capability
In the role of developing the Boards’ capacity and capability, the Joint Chair is responsible for:
Partnerships and Communications
In the role as an ambassador for both Trusts within their local communities and with partners and stakeholders at local, regional, and national levels, the Joint Chair is responsible for:
Guardian
In the role as governance lead for both Boards and the Council, the Joint Chair is responsible for:
Catalyst for Change
In the role as a catalyst for change, the Joint Chair is responsible for:
This role description highlights the main areas of responsibility for the role of the Joint Chair and is not exhaustive. There will be other responsibilities and requirements that will be commensurate to this role.
Person Specification
Knowledge, Skills & Interests |
A passion for promoting well-being and improving the integration of mental and physical health for a holistic service approach within our local communities and beyond A broad understanding of the political context in which the NHS and wider health and social care provision operate Clear understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, liabilities, and responsibilities of Board directors; accustomed to a high level of accountability and holding others to account Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; able to foster a cohesive, unitary Board to meet common goals Politically astute Excellent analytical skills |
Experience & Competencies |
Demonstrable track-record of leadership gained at Board level within a major, people-focused organisation of comparable complexity, ideally within the NHS A track record of providing strategic leadership to organisations undergoing major programmes of change (including capital development), and of overseeing improved organisational performance and quality outcomes throughout such programmes of activity Prior experience in a non-executive role, ideally having held a Chair role previously A demonstrably collaborative and collective approach to leadership and behaviours which engender high levels of respect from others A track record of shaping and promoting a compelling corporate vision, organisational objectives, and long-term strategy A demonstrable track record of championing diversity and inclusion and of embedding a commitment to diversity and inclusion within strategic and operational activities |
Personal Qualities, Values & Behaviours |
Aligned to the core values of the Trust and demonstrates a strong commitment to NHS values and the Nolan Principles Transparent, robust, and independent approach to decision-making Sufficient time, energy and commitment to fulfil the role and maintain an effective degree of independence and objectivity throughout the tenure |
As Chair, you must champion the standards of public life – by upholding the highest standards of conduct and displaying the principles of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership.
As a future NHS leader, the successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the range of behaviours required to contribute effectively in this board level role. These are outlined in the NHS Leadership Academy’s Healthcare Leadership Model.
Applicants should live in North London or have strong connections with the area and the demographics served by the Trusts.
Anderson Quigley is acting as an advisor to C&I and BEH. An executive search process is being carried out by Anderson Quigley in addition to the public advertisement.
Should you wish to discuss the role in strict confidence, please contact our advising consultant at Anderson Quigley: Helene Usherwood on helene@andersonquigley.com or +44(0)7719 322 669.
If candidates would like an informal conversation with one or both of the deputy chairs, then Anderson Quigley will be able to facilitate this also.
The closing date for applications is noon on Thursday 30th June 2022.
Applications should consist of:
Timetable
Closing date: | noon on Thursday 30 June |
Shortlisting: | Tuesday 5 July |
AQ to conduct informal conversations with shortlisted candidates to aid the development of questions for final panel interviews | 13 and 14 July |
Stakeholder engagement activities | Tuesday 21 July |
Formal panel interviews; to be held at C&I Trust headquarters | Tuesday 26 July |