Board of directors
Overview
As an NHS foundation trust, QVH has a board of directors and a board of governors. The board of directors is responsible for the strategy and performance of the trust and the board of governors holds the board of directors to account for the trust's performance. The trust chairman leads both boards. For more information about the QVH board of governors, see the board of governors page.
Members
The board of directors has five non executive members and four executive members. Their names, roles, portraits and terms of office are set out in the biographies available on the right.
Principles
The board of directors in a unitary board. This means that the non executive directors and executive directors share the same liabilities. Together, they are responsible for the effective and proactive leadership of the trust.
The QVH board of directors meets in private once per month. Its meetings are attended in full by the programme director, head of HR, company secretary and governor representative. This arrangement has the full support of the board of governors but is reviewed periodically. The core performance reports submitted to the board of directors each month are provided in confidence to members of the Governor Steering Group – one of two senior sub-committees of the board of governors (see the board of governors page). The chief executive attends part of the steering group's monthly meetings to respond to queries about these reports and the performance of the trust in general.
Sub-committees
There are four formal sub-committees of the QVH board of directors:
- Audit Committee, Chaired by Shena Winning, Non Executive Director
The Audit Committee meets quarterly to maintain an effective system of governance, risk management and internal control (including financial, clinical, operational and compliance controls and risk management systems). The committee is also responsible for maintaining an appropriate relationship with the trust's auditors.
- Charitable Funds Advisory Committee (CFAC), Chaired by Renny Leach, Non Executive Director and Senior Independent Director
The CFAC meets quarterly to oversee the management, investment and disbursement of the Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH) NHS Foundation Trust Charitable Fund within the regulations provided by the Charities Commission and to ensure statutory compliance. It manages the income and expenditure of a suite of general funds and supervises the expenditure and income of a suite of directorate funds.
- Nomination and Remuneration Committee (N&R), Chaired by Peter Griffiths, Chairman
The N&R Committee meets at least three times per year to review and make recommendations to the board of directors on the composition, balance, skill mix and succession planning of the board and recommendations on the appointment of executive directors. It is also responsible for setting the overall policy for the remuneration of all trust staff and it specifically authorises the remuneration packages and contractual terms for the chief executive, the executive directors and other senior managers who report directly to the chief executive.
- Quality and Risk Committee (Q&R), Chaired by Jeremy Beech, Non Executive Director
The Q&R Committee meets quarterly to assure the board that all reasonable steps are being taken to manage risk and drive continuous improvement in quality and patient safety.
Terms of reference for each sub-committee are available to the right.
Other responsibilities
The board of directors also acts as the corporate trustee of the QVH charitable funds and holds an annual meeting in this capacity each autumn and receives regular reports from the Charitable Funds Advisory Committee.
More information and enquiries
More information about the governance of NHS foundation trusts and boards of directors is available from the website of Monitor, the independent regulator of foundation trusts. In particular, the Monitor Code of Governance sets out the best practice guidance for the governance of foundation trusts. QVH aims to be broadly compliant with the principles set out in the code.
Any queries or requests for information regarding the board of directors should be addressed to the company secretary on 01342 414362 or info@qvh.nhs.uk.