About the role

Who we are looking for

Person specification

Application process

About NHS Dorset

The ICB is looking for a non-executive member, who will chair the Quality and Safety Committee, with clinical experience in the NHS or the independent sector or significant experience in public health at a senior level.

You will be part of a team of six non-executive members and two associate non-executive members.

As chair of the Quality and Safety Committee, you will support the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Nursing Officer in the ICBs work to sustain the safety of patient care, continuously improve the quality of care and patient experience and to improve outcomes in population health and healthcare, by offering advice and constructive challenge. You will use your professional experience and skills to add value to governance and strategic development. Patient safety and care will be at the centre of your actions. You will be able to demonstrate independent and proactive leadership, and champion open, frank and disciplined discussion.

We are really interested in receiving applications from people with different backgrounds, skills and experience.

Integrated care systems (ICSs) are partnerships of health and care organisations, local government, and the voluntary sector. They exist to improve population health, tackle health inequalities, enhance productivity and help the NHS support broader social and economic development. They took on statutory form following the implementation of proposed legislation from July 2022 and comprise an Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Integrated Care Partnership (ICP). The Dorset Integrated Care Board took on Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group’s functions as well as broader strategic responsibility for overseeing healthcare strategies for the system.

  • Improve outcomes in population health and healthcare

  • Tackle inequalities in outcome and access

  • Enhance productivity and value for money

  • Help the NHS deliver broader social and economic development.

About the role

Salary: £16,000 a year
Contract: Three years fixed term
Working pattern: Part-time, flexible working (two -three days a month)
Location: Vespasian House, Barrack Road, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1TG

As chair of the Quality and Safety Committee, you will support the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Nursing Officer in the ICB’s work to sustain the safety of patient care, continuously improve the quality of care and patient experience and to improve outcomes in population health and healthcare, by offering advice and constructive challenge. You will use your professional experience and skills to add value to governance and strategic development. Patient safety and the quality of care will be at the centre of your actions. You will be able to demonstrate independent and proactive leadership, and champion open, frank and disciplined discussion. You will have clinical experience in the NHS or the independent sector, or significant experience in public health at a senior level.

Role priorities and accountabilities

Chair of Quality and Safety Committee

You will work alongside the Chair, other non-executives, executive directors and partner members, and as members of a unitary board, with the aim of bringing independent and respectful challenge to the plans, aims and priorities of the ICB and promoting open and transparent decision-making that facilitates consensus aimed to deliver exceptional outcomes for the population.

Personally, you will bring a range of professional expertise as well as community understanding and experience to the work of the Board. We are interested in your life experience and personal motivations that will add valuable personal insights such as: being a patient, carer or service user; experience of gender and women’s issues; engaging with diverse social, economic and cultural groups and communities; experiences and challenges of younger people; and those with lived experience of mental health issues and/or living with physical chronic conditions or disability.

  • Chair the Quality and Safety Committee
  • Help shape the future of the organisation and wider health and care system (ICS) through creating and implementing a strategic and measurable communications, marketing and engagement strategy for all internal and external stakeholders. This will include activity aimed at driving the ICBs relationships with employees, patients, regulators and partners, as well as local and national stakeholders, the media, policymakers, opinion-formers and the general public.
  • Provide expert professional advice and guidance to the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Officers, the Board and other senior staff in relation to complex and often contentious communications, marketing and engagement issues.
  • Effectively manage the reputation and profile of the organisation (and wider ICS partners where appropriate) through high quality proactive and reactive public relations activity that promotes the ICBs activities and showcases the best in local innovation on a wider footprint.
  • Develop and oversee implementation of an effective and systemic approach to internal communications that creates a common understanding of the guiding purpose, vision and values/behaviours of the organisation.
  • Create and implement a systematic approach to gathering comprehensive insights into public and patient views of the local NHS, the services they receive and opportunities for improvement. This data will be shared with colleagues to guide and inform strategic approaches to service change and pathway redesign.
  • Develop creative approaches to using social media and other digital platforms to communicate and engage with target audiences, including those who may not traditionally engage with the local NHS or health messaging, to change the way in which patients and the public relate to health and care services.
  • Utilise behaviour change and insight theory to develop activities, based on population understanding and insight, to influence or change behaviour to support the ambitions of the Health and Care Strategy. This includes encouraging people to use NHS services differently and/or look after their own health appropriately and make informed health and lifestyle choices.
  • Ensure the organisation has effective, seamless communications with external stakeholders such as patients, partner organisations, primary care services, local and national politicians and political organisations, the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and other key organisations.
  • Ensure that appropriate mechanisms are in place for working with communities across Dorset to co create inclusive health and wellbeing pathways and services that address cultural differences and reduce health inequalities. Ensure that service change is patient centred and the patient voice is at the heart of decision making.
  • Oversee the relationships with local authorities, the voluntary and community sector to support them in a shared role to reach out to all parts of the community, as well as to ensure they are at the heart of policy and strategy development and implementation.
  • Provide expert advice on legislation and best practice in relation to public consultation, ensuring effective implementation on behalf of NHS Dorset (and the wider ICS), as appropriate.
  • Lead on the development of the NHS Dorset and Dorset Integrated Care System brand and identity, to engage with partners, the community and staff, and drive the ambitions of the Communications and Engagement Strategy.
  • Ensure public and staff confidence is maintained through effective brand and media management.
  • Oversee the NHS Dorset and associated websites to maintain public and staff confidence in the information provided.
  • Oversee the design, marketing and campaign management for key measures to inform partners, the community and staff including access to services through to employment opportunities.
  • Develop and lead a dynamic, innovative and high performing team of communications, marketing and engagement professionals, setting clear expectations and desired outcomes in support of delivery of critical organisational objectives and ensuring delivery.
  • Act as the system convener to bring together communications and engagement colleagues from across the Dorset health and care system to maximise opportunities for partnership activity and response at system level.
  • Contribute to NHS Dorsets emergency preparedness plans by acting as a lead on communications for responding to all crises or serious incidents.
  • As a senior manager you will form part of the on-call rota for the organisation.
  • Develop and review procedures, standards and policies for media management, corporate identity and branding, and other areas of communication and engagement to ensure they are implemented consistently and appropriately across NHS Dorset and the Dorset Integrated Care System.
  • Engage with key strategic regional and national policy makers to inform development of corporate strategy and policies.
  • Act as champion for patients and involve patients and public in policy development.

Our Quality and Safety Committee has the following primary duties and functions:

  • Be assured that there are robust processes in place for the effective management of quality.
  • Scrutinise structures in place to support quality planning, control and improvement, to be assured that the structures operate effectively and timely action is taken to address areas of concern.
  • Agree and put forward the key quality priorities that are included within the ICB strategy/annual plan, including priorities to address variation/inequalities in outcomes.
  • Monitor delivery of and seek assurance on the ICB key statutory requirements in terms of quality and safety.
  • Review and monitor those risks on the BAF and Corporate Risk Register which relate to quality, and high-risk operational risks which could impact on care. Ensure the ICB is kept informed of significant risks and mitigation plans in a timely manner.
  • Scrutinise the ICB’s response to all relevant (as applicable to quality) Directives, Regulations, national standard, policies, reports, reviews and best practice as issued by the DHSC, NHSEI and other regulatory bodies/external agencies (e.g., CQC, NICE) to gain assurance that they are appropriately reviewed and actions are being undertaken, embedded and sustained.
  • Maintain an overview of changes in the methodology employed by regulators and changes in legislation/regulation and assure the ICB that these are disseminated and implemented across all sites.
  • Monitor and seek assurance on the effective and sustained delivery of the ICB Quality Improvement Programmes.
  • Ensure that mechanisms are in place to review and monitor the effectiveness of the quality of care delivered by providers and place.
  • Receive assurance that the ICB identifies lessons learned from all relevant sources, including incidents, never events, complaints and claims and ensures that learning is disseminated and embedded.
  • Receive assurance that the ICB has effective and transparent mechanisms in place to monitor mortality and that it learns from death (including coronial inquests and PFD reports).
  • To be assured that people drawing on services are systematically and effectively involved as equal partners in quality activities.
  • Scrutinise the robustness of the arrangements for and assure compliance with the ICB’s statutory responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children, infection prevention and control, equality and diversity as it applies to people drawing on services, and medicines optimisation and safety.
  • Have oversight of and approve the Terms of Reference and work programmes for the groups reporting into the Quality Committee (e.g. System Quality Groups, Place-based Quality Groups, Infection Prevention and Control, Safeguarding Boards/Hubs).

The committee also has a responsibility to:

  • Review and monitor risks on the Board Assurance Framework and the Corporate Risk Register, and report any significant concern to the Risk and Audit Committee or Board as appropriate.
  • Recommend changes to the Board Assurance Framework relating to emerging risks and existing entries within its remit for the Board to consider.
  • Assure action plans arising from all Serious Incidents are escalated to the Board where appropriate.
  • Assure compliance with Care Quality Commission Standards.
  • Assure compliance in relation to safeguarding standards for children and adults.
  • Undertake in-depth reviews of Clinical Quality Indicators/areas of concern reported to it or at the request of the Board.
  • Receive and monitor reports on quality and safety performance including forecasts, noting any trends, exceptions and variances against plans and reviewing in detail any major quality.

In addition to your specific responsibilities relating to the Quality and Safety Committee, independent non-executive members will:

  • Work collaboratively to shape the long-term, viable plan for the delivery of the functions, duties and objectives of the ICB and for the stewardship of public money.
  • Ensure that the Board is effective in all aspects of its role and appropriately focused on the four core purposes, to: improve outcomes in population health and healthcare; tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience and access; enhance productivity and value for money and help the NHS support broader social and economic development.
  • Be champions of the new governance arrangements (including with the ICP), collaborative leadership and effective partnership working, including with local government, NHS bodies and the voluntary sector.
  • Support the Chair and the wider Board on issues that impact organisations and workforce across the ICS, such as integration, the People agenda, Digital transformation, Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) and Covid-19 challenges.
  • Play a key role in ensuring that the ICB meets its statutory duties, and building strong partnerships and governance arrangements with system partners.

Independent non-executive members:

  • Are accountable to the ICB Chair.
  • Have designated areas of responsibilities as agreed with the ICB Chair. This role has responsibility for the Quality and Safety Committee.
  • Have a collective responsibility with the other members of the ICB to ensure corporate accountability for the performance of the organisation, ensuring its functions are effectively and efficiently discharged and its financial obligations are met.

Who we are looking for

We are really interested in receiving applications from people with different backgrounds, skills and experience.

The ICB needs diverse, inclusive and compassionate leaders who not only reflect the community they serve, and the staff employed but have the leadership style and breadth of perspective to make good collective decisions.

There is emphatic evidence that diverse boards make the best decisions. We want to increase the diversity of our board team. In non-executive roles nationally, it is known that women, people from the Black Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, LGBT communities, younger people and those with lived experience of disability are all under-represented.

  • You will have a background as a clinician in the NHS or independent sector, or significant experience in public health at a senior level, and be able to demonstrate independent and proactive leadership with confidence and integrity.

  • You will champion open, frank and disciplined discussion and be prepared to ask the difficult questions.

  • Personally, you will bring a range of professional expertise as well as community understanding and experience to the work of the Board.

  • We are interested in your life experience and personal motivations that will add valuable personal insights.

  • You will bring knowledge, skills and experience in setting strategy and delivering long-term transformation, building trusted relationships, leading for social justice and health equality, driving sustainable outcomes, providing robust governance and assurance, and creating a compassionate and inclusive culture.

Person specification

As chair of the Quality and Safety Committee, you will:

  • Have clinical experience in the NHS or the independent sector, or significant experience in public health at a senior level
  • Demonstrate independent and proactive leadership with confidence and integrity
  • Champion open, frank and disciplined discussion and be prepared to ask the difficult questions

In addition you will have the following competencies:

  • Knowledge of health, care, local government landscape and/ or the voluntary sector
  • A capacity to thrive in a complex and politically charged environment of change and uncertainty
  • Experience leading change at a senior level to bring together disparate stakeholder interests

  • An understanding of different sectors, groups, networks and the needs of diverse populations
  • Exceptional communication skills and comfortable presenting in a variety of contexts
  • Highly developed interpersonal and influencing skills, able to lead in a creative environment which enables people to thrive and collaborate
  • Experience working collaboratively across agency and professional boundaries

  • An awareness and appreciation of social justice and how it might apply within an ICB
  • Record of promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in leadership roles
  • Life experience and personal motivation that will add valuable personal insights

  • Problem solving skills and the ability to identify issues and areas of risk, leading stakeholders to effective resolutions and decisions

  • An understanding of good corporate governance
  • Ability to remain neutral to provide independent and unbiased leadership with a high degree of personal integrity
  • Experience contributing effectively in complex professional meetings at a very senior level

  • Models respect and a compassionate and inclusive leadership style with a demonstrable commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in respect of
    boards, patients and staff
  • Creates and lives the values of openness and transparency embodied by the principles-of-public-life and in Our People Promise

Make an application

If you wish to be considered for the role of ICB independent non-executive member role please provide:

  • A CV that includes your address and preferred contact details, highlighting and explaining any gaps in your employment history
  • A supporting statement that highlights your skills and experience and allows insights on your values and motivations for applying for the role. You should outline your personal responsibility and achievement within previous roles that demonstrates you have the knowledge, skills and competencies to deliver this role, as outlined in the person specification
  • The names, positions, organisations and contact details for three referees. Your referees should be individuals in a line management capacity (or senior stakeholders), and cover your most recent roles and employer, any regulated health or social care activity or where roles involved children or vulnerable adults. Your references will be taken prior to interview and may be shared with the selection panel
  • Tell us about any dates when you will not be available for the selection process

For more information about the role, Jenni Douglas-Todd, NHS Dorset ICB Chair may be contacted through her office, Christine Storry (01305) 368901 and Christine.Storry@Dorsetccg.nhs.uk

The application process

  • 1. Preliminary selection

    Information provided by applicants will be relied on to assess whether sufficient personal responsibility and competence have been demonstrated in previous/other roles, to satisfy the experience, skills and values outlined in the person specification.

  • 2. Shortlisting

    the selection panel will use the information provided by the applicants to agree applicants invited to interview. Assessment will be based on merit against the competencies experience, skills and values outlined in the person specification. We aim to shortlist during the week commencing 6 February 2023.

  • 3. Stakeholder event

    Shortlisted applicants will be expected to participate in a stakeholder engagement event or events to meet groups of key stakeholders. Feedback from these sessions will be shared with the selection panel. We aim to hold the stakeholder event during the week commencing 20 February 2023.

  • 4. Interviews

    The formal interview will be 45 mins to an hour of open questions from the selection panel to showcase past experience and explore applicant’s values, motivations, creativity and ability. We aim to hold interviews during the week commencing 6 March 2023.

  • 5. Appointment

    The Chair will appoint the most suitable candidate based on merit against the competencies, experience, skills and values outlined in the person specification above. The post will commence from 1 April 2023.

About us

We are joining up to tackle all the things that affect our health and wellbeing, make real change, and improve things for our communities.

Dorset ICS is made up of:

  • NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board

  • University Hospitals Dorset Foundation Trust

  • Dorset County Hospital Foundation Trust

  • Dorset HealthCare University Foundation Trust

  • 18 primary care networks (made up of 80 GP practices)

  • Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole Council

  • Dorset Council

  • 194 town and parish councils

  • Southwestern Ambulance Service Foundation Trust

  • Dorset Police

  • Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

  • 7,300 voluntary organisations