Roles of Board members
The role of the Chair
The overall role of the Chair is one of enabling and leading so that the attributes and specific roles of the executive team and the non-executives are brought together in a constructive partnership to take forward the business of Liverpool Primary Care Trust.
The Chair:
- Ensures the provision of accurate, timely and clear information to directors
- Ensures effective communication with staff, patients and the public
- Arranges the regular evaluation of the performance of the Board, its committees and individual directors
- Ensures constructive relations between executive and non-executive directors
As leader of the Board, the Chair has the overarching responsibility for ensuring that under his/her guidance the organisation meets its planned objectives for service delivery and clinical governance and has a clear understanding of its culture and values.
Whilst the Chair leads the Board, the Chief Executive leads the executive team and takes responsibility for their achievements.
The role of the Non Executive Directors
Non Executive Directors are appointed by the NHS Appointments Commission on behalf of the local community. They therefore have a responsibility to ensure the Board acts in the best interests of the public and is fully accountable to the public for the services provided by the organisation and the public funds it uses.
The issues that Non Executive Directors are involved with include:
- Strategy - Non Executive Directors constructively challenge and contribute to the development of strategy
- Performance - Non Executive Directors scrutinise the performance of management in meeting agreed goals and objectives and monitor the reporting of performance
- Risk - Non Executive Directors satisfy themselves that financial information is accurate and that financial controls and systems of risk management are robust and defensible
- People - Non Executive Directors are responsible for determining appropriate levels of remuneration of executive directors and have a prime role in appointing senior management
The role of the Chief Executive
The Chief Executive helps create the vision for the Board and the PCT to modernise and improve services.
The Chief Executive has the responsibility for ensuring that the Board is empowered to govern the organisation and that the objectives it sets are accomplished through effective executive working.
The issues the Chief Executive is involved with are:
- Leadership - the Chief Executive helps create the vision for the Board and the organisation to modernise and improve services
- Delivery planning - the Chief Executive has the duty to ensure that the Board has sufficient information to agree a Local Delivery Plan or Service Level Agreements that meet the NHS Plan and other priorities and is based on realistic estimates of physical, workforce, financial capacity and patient and public involvement
- Performance management - the Chief Executive is responsible for ensuring that the Board's plans and objectives are implemented and that progress towards implementation is regularly reported to the Board using accurate systems of measurement and data management
- Governance - the Chief Executive is responsible for ensuring that the systems on which the Board relies to govern the organisation are effective
- Accountability - the Chief Executive is accountable to the Board for meeting their objectives and, as Accountable Officer, to the Chief Executive of the NHS for the performance of the organisation
