Vacancy -- Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee - Appointment of Chair

Vacancy details

Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC)
Nantgarw
The Chair is entitled to receive a taxable remuneration of £322 per day.
52
year

Function of body

The Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (“the Committee”) was established on 1 April 2010. It is hosted by Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board and is responsible for the joint planning of specialised and highly specialised Services on behalf of the seven Local Health Boards (“LHBs”) in Wales.

The LHBs are as follows:

 

  • Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
  • Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
  • Cardiff & Vale University Health Board
  • Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
  • Hywel Dda University Health Board
  • Powys Teaching Health Board
  • Swansea Bay University Health Board

 

Each LHB’s functions include planning, funding, designing, developing and securing the delivery of primary, community, in-hospital care services, and specialised services for the citizens in their respective areas. The WHSSC directions provide that the seven LHBs in Wales will work jointly to exercise functions relating to the planning and securing of specialised and highly specialised services functions. 

Purpose and Delegated functions 

The Committee has been established for the purpose of jointly exercising those functions relating to the planning and securing of certain specialised and highly specialised services on a national all-Wales basis, on behalf of each of the seven LHBs in Wales. 

LHBs are responsible for those people who are resident in their areas.  Whilst the Committee acts on behalf of the seven LHBs in undertaking its functions, the duty on individual LHBs remains, and they are ultimately accountable to citizens and other stakeholders for the provision of specialised and highly specialised services for residents within their area.

The Committee’s role is to:

 

  • Determine a long-term strategic plan for the development of specialised and highly specialised services in Wales, in conjunction with the Welsh Ministers;
  • To sign off the three year integrated medium term plans developed by the LHBs;
  • Identify and evaluate existing, new and emerging treatments and services and advise on the designation of such services;
  • Develop national policies for the equitable access to safe and sustainable, high quality specialised and highly specialised healthcare services across Wales, whether planned, funded and secured at national, regional or local level;
  • Agree annually those services that should be planned on a national basis and those that should be planned locally;
  • Produce an annual plan for agreement by the Committee following the publication of the individual LHBs’ Corporate and Annual Quality / Delivery Plans;
  • Agree the appropriate level of funding for the provision of specialised and highly specialised services at a national level, and determine the contribution from each LHB for those services (which will include the running costs of the Joint Committee and the WHSST) in accordance with any specific directions set by the Welsh Ministers;
  • Establish mechanisms for managing the in year risks associated with the agreed service portfolio and new pressures that may arise;
  • Secure the provision of specialised and highly specialised services planned at a national level, including those to be delivered by providers outside Wales; and
  • Establish mechanisms to monitor, evaluate and publish the outcomes of specialised and highly specialised healthcare services and take appropriate action.

The Committee must ensure that all its activities are in exercise of these functions or any other functions that may be conferred on it.  Each LHB shall be bound by the decisions of the Committee in the exercise of its roles.  The Chair must ensure compliance with the procedures in respect of decision-making set out in the Committee’s Standing Orders.

To fulfil its functions, the Committee shall lead and scrutinise the operations, functions and decision making of the Management Team undertaken at the direction of the Committee. 

The Committee shall work with all its partners and stakeholders in the best interests of its population across Wales.

Role description

The Chair is responsible for the effective operation of the Committee:

  • Chairing Committee meetings; 
  • Establishing and ensuring adherence to the standards of good governance set for the NHS in Wales, ensuring that all Committee business is conducted in accordance with WHSSC Standing Orders; and
  • Developing positive and professional relationships amongst the Committee’s membership and between the Committee and each LHB’s Board.      

The Chair shall work in close harmony with the Chair of each LHB and, supported by the Committee Secretary, shall ensure that key and appropriate issues are discussed by the Committee in a timely manner with all the necessary information and advice being made available to members to inform the debate and ultimate resolutions

The Chair is directly accountable to the Minister for Health and Social Services in respect of their performance as Chair; to each LHB Board in relation to the delivery of the functions exercised by the Committee on its behalf and, through the host LHB’s Board, for the conduct of business in accordance with the defined governance and operating framework.

 

Welsh language skills

The Welsh Government acknowledges the importance of developing and growing bilingual capabilities in public appointments in Wales, and welcomes applications from candidates who demonstrate their capability to work in both English and Welsh.  The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the recruiting body of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.
Desirable
No skills
No skills
No skills
No skills

Person specification

The Chair will demonstrate the following qualities:

Knowledge and Experience

  • Experience of leading and developing a successful private, public or third sector organisation at a senior level, with the ability to look ahead and provide strategic leadership;
  • Experience of establishing and monitoring sound systems of governance in a complex organisation. 
  • Experience of effectively encouraging the resolution of situations of conflict and promoting positive professional relationships
  • A proven track record of efficient chairing in situations where extremely complex matters are discussed and there may be tensions regarding potential conflicts of interest;
  • A proven track record in building highly effective relationships with a range of stakeholders; and
  • Knowledge and understanding of the health service, specialist service provision and/or a clinical background.

 

*Personal Attributes and Skills

  • Strong interpersonal skills with personal impact and credibility to be an effective advocate and ambassador with strong influencing and negotiating skills; 
  • Drive and determination, with the ability to instil vision and develop defined strategies to pursue long and short-term goals;
  • Excellent communication skills, with the ability to be clear and succinct and to facilitate understanding of complex issues while demonstrating respect for the views of others;
  • Ability to absorb large amounts of information and to evaluate complex evidence within a short time frame;
  • Ability to summarise and identify a common purpose in order to facilitate harmonious and efficient decision-making;
  • Sound judgement, sensitivity and political awareness; and
  • Capacity to be independent and resilient.

Candidates must also demonstrate:

  • A clear understanding and commitment to equality issues and challenging discriminatory practices; and
  • A clear understanding and commitment to Nolan’s ‘Seven Principles of Public Life'

  • Welsh language skills are desirable. All candidates will be expected to display empathy towards the language and demonstrate leadership to strengthen bilingual service provision within the NHS in Wales.
  • Candidates shortlisted for interview will be required to expand on how they meet the criteria above using examples and evidence.

Interview dates

29 May 2020
2 June 2020

Closing date

17/04/2020, 16:00

Additional information

The Welsh Government believes that public bodies should have board members who reflect Welsh society - people from all walks of life - to help them understand people's needs and make better decisions. This is why the Welsh Government is encouraging a wide and diverse range of individuals to apply for appointments to public bodies.

Applications are particularly welcome from all under-represented groups including women, people under 30 years of age, black, Asian and minority ethnic people, disabled people, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

The Welsh Government operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for disabled people. The Equality Act 2010, defines a person as disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day to day activities. Under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme a disabled candidate will be selected for interview if they meet the minimum essential criteria for the post.

Contacts: 

For further information regarding the selection process, please contact:

Public Appointments Team publicappointments@gov.wales

For further information or to arrange an informal discussion about the role of the Chair please contact:

Prof Chris Jones, Deputy Chief Medical Officer.

Tel: 03000 257143

Email: chris.jones@gov.wales.

For further information about WHSSC, you may wish to visit their web site: http://www.whssc.wales.nhs.uk/home

 

How to apply

To apply for this role, click on the ‘Apply’ button below. The first time you apply for a post, you will need to complete a registration form for the Welsh Government’s online application system.  You will only need to register once, and you will be able to keep yourself updated on the progress of your application, and any other applications you make, via your registered account.

Once you’ve registered, you’ll be able to access the application form.  To apply you will need to submit two supporting documents. The first, a document outlining how your knowledge, skills and experiences meet the criteria for the role as outlined in the information for candidates.  This document should be no more than 2 sides of A4.  Your application may be rejected if you exceed this limit.  The second document is a full, up to date CV.  The two documents should be uploaded to the ‘Reasons for applying’ section of the online application form.

In your application, you will also be asked to provide details of any activities which have helped you to develop skills that would be useful in a public appointment role, and list the organisations for which you undertook these activities.  We also need to know about any political activity that you’ve undertaken over the last 5 years. 

It is recommended that you register for an account and access the application form as soon as possible so that you see how the application form is structured, before starting to prepare your evidence.  You don’t have to complete the application form all in one go.  You can save your responses, and log in and out as required, until you’re ready to submit – just follow the guidance in the application form.

If you’d like to apply for this opportunity in Welsh, please use the ‘Newid Iaith / Change Language’ link at the top of this page, to take you to the Welsh version of this advert, from which you can apply in Welsh.

If you need any further assistance in applying for this role, please contact the Welsh Government’s Public Appointments Team on  PublicAppointments@gov.wales.

For further information about Public Appointments in Wales, please visit www.gov.wales/publicappointments

This vacancy is closed to applications.