Press release: NHS Confederation calls on government to acknowledge new of non-executives
10 Apr 2001
The NHS Confederation Council has today agreed to press Government to review the role of non-executive directors in the NHS. Commenting on Council's decision, Chief Executive, Stephen Thornton said "the role that non-executives play in the NHS has progressively changed in the last five years. They have new duties and accountabilities that are not reflected in their official job description. We believe that it is time to acknowledge their place in the NHS and ensure they are properly trained and paid for the time and energy they put into the service."
In a policy paper The role of non-executives in NHS authorities and boards the Council states that the modern role of the non-executive should be summarised under three headings:
"steward" - ensuring the integrity of the NHS
"ambassador" - ensuring effective local relationships and partnership working
"guardian" - setting strategies to meet Government objectives.
Specific recommendations in the paper include:
a clear statement of chair and non-executive accountabilities;
an appraisal template to cover new candidates' individual skills, attributes, experience and background;
clarification that the Patient Forum elected non-executive will be bound by the shared corporate responsibility of the board as a whole;
the work of non-executives is recognised in their remuneration which should remain constant in relation to other NHS staff;
the new Leadership Centre should assess the training and development needs of non-executives;
a clear expression from Government of the valuable role played by non-executives; fulfilling responsibilities that are crucial to the effective modernisation of the service.
Chair of the NHS Confederation and herself a non-executive director, Dianne Jeffrey commented "the 3,500 chairs and non-executives in the NHS are a hugely important and often under-used resource within the NHS. They perform many functions that the executive team cannot do. They bring a wider community perspective to board decisions and devote a great deal of time and expertise to the running of the NHS. These are just the sort of people that the Government is trying to recruit into public service positions. They should be encouraged and supported.
She continued "our aim in pressing government is to ensure that non-executives continue to be high quality and highly motivated individuals committed to modernisation and quality improvement in the NHS."
Ends
Notes for editors
- The NHS Confederation is the voice of NHS management. Our members include over 95 per cent of NHS trusts, primary care trusts and health authorities in England; trusts and health authorities in Wales; trusts and health boards in Scotland; and health and social services trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.
Contact details
- Contact Media Relations Manager Joanna Clason on 020 7074 3306 or 07798 571078 or Senior Media Officer Amy Darlington on 020 7074 3304 or 07767 770309. For out of hours media enquiries, please call the Duty Press Officer on 07880 500726.
Back to media centre
