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Job overview

Working hours: 37.5 hours per week

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has an exciting opportunity to join us as our Head of Corporate Governance.

This role is based at the centre of our organisation. Supporting the  Director of Governance, Risk and Improvement and the Company Secretary, you will ensure that the Trust has in place, sound, integrated corporate governance policies, procedures and structures.

 You will be responsible for ensuring the Trust complies with its legal, constitutional and regulatory requirements in order to support the delivery of outstanding, integrated care to the people who use our services.

The successful applicant will be highly motivated, enthusiastic individual with extensive knowledge of NHS governance processes.  You will have excellent verbal and written skills, with the ability to communicate and negotiate effectively at all levels within the organisation to ensure key deadlines are met, whilst also liaising with our external partners such as Internal and External Audit.

Interviews will take place:  16th December 2024

Main duties of the job

1. Support the Company Secretary in the effective operation of the Trust’s governance structure, ensuring it is fit for purpose, reporting any deficiencies and making proposals for improvement.

2. Ensure that arrangements are in place for the Trust to maintain a well-defined and established corporate governance framework, including best practice Standing Orders, Standing Financial Instructions, and Schemes of Delegation; and that these are reviewed on an annual basis.

3.  Be responsible for the preparation of the corporate calendar, circulation of agenda, minutes and papers of the Board of Directors, Council of Governors and Board Committees.

4.  Act as an advisor on the Constitution and code of conduct, ensuring transparency and accountability in the conduct of the Trust’s business.

5.  Act as the point of contact with the external auditor to provide relevant evidence to them in order to provide an audit opinion and to ensure that a final draft of the annual report is available for approval by Board and laying to Parliament in a timely manner.

6.  Ensure the effective and efficient flow of information to and between the Trust Board of Directors, Governors and Members.

7.  Support the Company Secretary to consistently review all corporate governance arrangements to ensure that the Board is fully briefed in order to make informed decisions, and ensure that arrangements are in place for monitoring compliance with the code of governance and provider licence.

Working for our organisation

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides services to West Cheshire and to Welsh patients covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Its services are provided from three locations:

•    The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 438 general and acute beds.
•    Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 56 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility.
•    Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.

The Trust employs over 6258 staff (headcount) which includes temporary bank staff and provides acute emergency and elective services, primary care direct access services and obstetric services to a population of approximately 407,000. This includes 357,000 residents in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire which has a population of approximately 50,000.

The Trust is a busy district general hospital and in 2022/2023, there were more than 503,342 patient attendances (inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery. This is an increase of nearly 10,000 compared to the previous year when there were 494,387 patient attendances.