Job Description

The Chief Governance Officer is an Executive Board member and a key member of our leadership team. The post holder will act as a principal advisor to the Chief Executive, Chair, Executive and Non-Executive Directors of the Trust on all issues relating to clinical and corporate governance and for ensuring delivery of well-led obligations and statutory regulations. The post holder will play a key coordinating role within the Trust across the full governance agenda and will develop strong working relationships with relevant external partner organisations. The post holder will be the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Nominated Individual.



We are looking for someone whose own personal values align with ours of 'caring, safe, respectful'. You will have a vision for developing a culture that supports our colleagues to be the best they can be and to achieve better care together for the benefit of our population.



We recognise that if our Chief Governance Officer is going to achieve genuine and lasting change, they will need outstanding communication, leadership, networking, and engagement skills, with a dynamic, patient-centric approach that promotes a culture placing safety, quality, governance and outcomes, at the heart of everything we do.



We are not underestimating the challenges facing today's health system but believe there are the foundations here in Blackpool to deliver truly excellent, integrated services that can make a major impact on the lives of people we serve.

The Chief Governance Officer will be responsible for:

Leading on all corporate governance matters



Assuring the Board that the Trust complies with all relevant legislation and the licensing requirements issued by its regulators



O verseeing the delivery of assurance relating to quality governance



Establishing and maintaining systems and processes that ensure good clinical and corporate governance of the Trust including the Board Assurance Framework and Risk Register



Advising the Board on developments in governance and other issues



Providing advice and guidance on governance related issues at both directorate and Trust level



Acting as the Trust's Senior Information Officer (SIRO)



We are an organisation of scale and complexity with a workforce of

c 8,500. As a large, integrated provider of acute and community services to the 445,000-strong population of the Fylde coast health economy and the estimated 11 million visitors to the seaside town of Blackpool, your leadership as Chief Governance Officer will impact the health outcomes of a complex and diverse population.



With patients and families at the heart of all we do, we are committed to creating a culture that empowers our colleagues and inspires us all to deliver first class clinical care and models of care that are sustainable.



We form a central part of the Healthier Fylde Coast Integrated Care Partnership and our progressive approach to partnership working in the area provides an enviable opportunity to redesign and deliver services that met the challenges of today's health system.

1. Governance:

Lead the Trust wide quality governance agenda including effective development and delivery of the wider quality governance arrangements in the organisation.



Be responsible for the strategic and operational management for the Trust clinical governance arrangements including risk management, health and safety, patient safety, complaints and clinical audit, ensuring that they are fit for purpose.



Lead the implementation of corporate governance plans and contribute to the development of other governance plans of the Trust.



Responsible for ensuring compliance with the Trust's License conditions in relation to regulatory compliance and assurance, including NHSE governance statements, taking appropriate actions to ensure compliance with the Code of Governance and any other Corporate Board assurances.



Ensure compliance with external standards. You will be responsible for the delivery of the Trust's governance agenda through implementation of national standards and regulations



Work with the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Nurse to develop the Trust's Quality and Clinical Governance strategies.



Keep Chief Medical Officer / CEO informed of emerging risks and concerns through

the governance structure, risk register and 1:1 meetings



Monitor compliance with the Trust's requirements against NHSE Well-Led Assurance Framework.



Provide advice, support and training to executive, clinical and divisional directors in the development and maintenance of robust governance processes and systems.



Provide oversight, monitoring and challenge to the governance systems at all levels and in all departments in the Trust,



Be responsible for the Corporate Governance, Health & Safety, Patient Experience, Governance & Compliance and Legal Services teams and the services they provide.



Maintain and monitor procedures to ensure that the Trust complies with the National Health Service Act 2006 and the subsequent provisions of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and the 2022 update, the FT Licence and the Constitution and other regulatory/statutory requirements e.g. Freedom of Information Act 2000, Data Protection Act 1998, Human Tissue Authority, Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

and related management regulations and codes of practice.



Establish and monitor procedures to ensure that the Trust complies with its regulatory requirements e.g. NHSE, CQC, Health & Safety Executive, and Information Commissioner's Office.



2. Risk Management



In line with the Governance and Assurance Framework, be responsible for the identification and management of the range of risks which are evident in relation to the development of services within the Trust.



Ensure the provision of accurate and timely information to key governance meetings and stakeholders in order to inform appropriate decision making (incidents, trends, risks etc.)



Embed robust systems to monitor and investigate all incidents, serious incidents and Never Events in the Trust ensuring that lessons are learnt and shared across divisions & specialties and that concerns, trends and themes are escalated to the Board.



Develop, monitor and update Trust-wide patient safety, governance, risk & audit policies and protocols as required.



Be responsible for the development and management of the Board Assurance Framework and Trust Risk Register, seeking assurance from Risk & Governance Leads that registers are actively reviewed and risks managed, in order to provide the

necessary assurances to the Risk Management Committee.



Identify and manage the range of risks which are evident in relation to the development of services within the Trust



Ensure that there is an information governance framework which is signed off by the Trust and that it is reviewed and updated where necessary.



3. Information Governance



Act as the Board-level Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) for the Trust, with responsibility for:



Leading and fostering a culture that values, protects and uses information for the success of the organisation and the benefit of its customers



Owning the organisation's overall information risk policy and risk assessment processes and ensuring they are implemented consistently by Information Asset Owners (IAOs).



Advising the Chief Executive on the information risk aspects of the Annual Governance Statement.



Owning the organisation's information incident management framework.

Responsible Officer for the Trust under the Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection Act, ensuring the Trust complies with the requirements of the Acts, advising on specific cases as necessary and promoting Trust-wide awareness of the legislation.



4. Collective Executive Director Responsibilities



As a full member of the Board of Directors and the Trust Executive Management Team, contribute to the effective leadership of the Trust

Fulfil all statutory responsibilities as a member of the Board of Directors and an Executive Director of the Trust



At all times, comply with the standards of conduct for Executive Directors



Demonstrate participative leadership



Working collaboratively with the Chief Executive and Executive Director colleagues, take collective responsibility for the development and delivery of the Trust's strategic objectives and the financial, activity and workforce plans



Assist in promoting and developing the culture of a learning organisation, that is fully committed to providing excellence in both health and customer care, ad to providing continuous improvement



Participate in the Trust's Executive On-Call arrangement