Vacancy -- Independent Member (Finance) - Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board

Vacancy details

Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board
Meetings will be held across north Wales. The use of virtual meetings has been trialled successfully during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we propose to have a blended approach to meetings going forwards.
£15,936 per annum.
4
month

Function of body

The Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board was established on 1st October 2009 as a part of the Welsh Assembly Government One Wales reform programme for the NHS in Wales.

The Health Board is the largest health organisation in Wales, and is responsible for improving the health and wellbeing of a population of over 670,000 people across the six counties of north Wales (Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham).  This encompasses prevention of ill-health, as well as treating illness and providing excellent healthcare services.

The Health Board provides primary, community and mental health services, as well as acute hospital services.  It operates three main hospitals (Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Bodelwyddan, and Ysbyty Wrexham Maelor in Wrexham), along with a network of community hospitals, health centres, clinics, mental health units, and community team bases.  It also delivers prison health care services within HMP Berwyn, Wrexham.  The Health Board also co-ordinates the work of 98 GP practices, and NHS services provided by 89 dental practices, 74 optometry practices and opticians, and 152 pharmacies in North Wales.

The Health Board was placed in Special Measures in 2015, and has recently been de-escalated to Targeted Intervention status, a decision which reflects the progress we have made to-date, and the confidence that we will continue on this journey of improvement.  In January 2021 Jo Whitehead took up her post as Chief Executive of the Health Board, and along with the Chairman, will lead the Board as we face many challenges, including our response to COVID-19 and its impact, our work to reinstate our planned care pathways and to begin to tackle the waiting list position.  We will also be focusing on primary and community care services, improving unscheduled and emergency care and mental health services. 

The Board's role

The role of the Board is to:

  • Formulate strategy for the organisation within the overall policies and priorities of the Welsh Government, responsive to the health needs of the local population.
  • Ensure accountability by holding the organisation to account for the delivery of the strategy and through seeking assurance that the systems of control are robust and reliable.
  • Shape a positive culture for the Board and the organisation.
  • Maintain high standards of corporate governance.
  • Ensure effective financial stewardship.

The Board functions as a corporate decision making body.   It meets on a bi-monthly basis and consists of the Chair, ten Independent Members (IMs), three Associate Members, the Chief Executive and eight Executive Directors.   Executive Directors and Independent Members are full and equal members sharing corporate responsibility for all decisions of the Board.  The Board Secretary is in attendance as principal advisor on all aspects of governance within the Health Board. 

The Board’s committee structure currently comprises eight committees and two sub-committees, although this is currently under review.  These are:

  • Audit Committee
  • Remuneration and Terms of Service Committee
  • Mental Health Act Committee, with its Mental Health Act Power of Discharge Sub-Committee
  • Finance and Performance Committee
  • Digital Information & Governance Committee
  • Quality, Safety and Experience Committee
  • Strategy, Partnerships and Population Health Committee
  • Charitable Funds Committee, with its Charitable Funds Advisory Group Sub-Committee

Role description

Independent Members will among other things:

  • Contribute to the work of the Board, based upon your independence, your past experience and knowledge, and your ability to stand back from the day-to-day operational management;
  • Contribute to corporate decisions to ensure a joined up, robust and transparent decision-making process by the Board;
  • Be expected, in time, to fully understand the business through active involvement to enable the effective performance of the organisation;
  • Work closely with other public, private and voluntary organisations and will make sure that the views of patients, carers and families are fully involved in helping to shape, develop and improve services;and
  • Analyse and critically review complex information and contribute to sound decision- making, ensuring that decisions are open and transparent.

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
Can read simple material on everyday topics with understanding
Can write basic messages on everyday topics
Can understand basic conversations about everyday topics
Can hold simple work-related conversations

Person specification

To be considered, you must be able to demonstrate that you have the qualities, skills and experience to meet all the essential criteria for appointment.


Knowledge and Experience

Essential

  • An understanding of health issues and priorities in the Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board area and the ability to contribute effectively as part of a unitary Board.
  • The ability to provide a knowledgeable, impartial and balanced perspective on a range of sensitive and complex issues.
  • A sound knowledge and understanding of corporate governance processes.
  • A knowledge of and empathy with local community issues and priorities
  • An understanding of the Nolan Principles and the ability to value and respect others, and to communicate openly and honestly.
     

Desirable

As we are the largest health organisation in Wales, with a budget of £1.8 billion we are particularly interested in receiving applications from those with finance experience at a senior executive/board level. We are seeking an Independent Member with the ability to apply financial knowledge and skills in this new strategic environment. A track record of financial oversight in a complex organisation with demonstration of value for money and impact analysis skills would be of benefit. In addition, membership of one of the following bodies would be desirable: 

(a)  the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales;

(b)  the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland;

(c)  the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants;

(d)  the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy;

(e)  the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland;

(f)   the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

We would expect applicants to have or be able to develop an understanding of the NHS Finance (Wales) Act 2014.

Personal Attributes & Skills

A commitment to the values of the Health Board which include demonstrating a patient centred approach, an ability to work in partnership with colleagues and stakeholders and the ability to value and respect others, communicating openly and honestly

  • The ability to speak welsh.
  • Experience of chairing committees.

Interview dates

14 September 2021
17 September 2021

Closing date

06/08/2021, 16:00

Additional information

Contacts

For further information regarding the selection process, please contact:

 

Public Appointments Team

Public Bodies Unit

Email: publicappointments@gov.wales

 

For further information regarding the role of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board, and the role of the Independent Member (Finance), please contact Mark Polin, Chair, or Louise Brereton, Board Secretary.

 

Email: mark.polin@wales.nhs.uk, or louise.brereton@wales.nhs.uk

 

If you need any further assistance in applying for this role, please contact:  publicappointments@gov.wales.

 

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

 

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

Commissioner for Public Appointments logo

This vacancy is closed to applications.