The Board of directors at Newcastle Hospitals has overall responsibility for the strategic direction of the Trust, taking into account the views of the Council of Governors.
Executive and Non-Executive Directors have an open invitation to attend meetings of the Council of Governors.
The Board is responsible for ensuring the day to day operation of the Trust is as effective as possible and that all areas of identified risk are managed appropriately.
A detailed Schedule of Reservation and Delegation of Powers is in place and it sets out explicitly those decisions which are reserved for the Board, those that may be determined by standing committees, and those that are delegated to managers.
Governance
In April 2019, the Trust implemented a revised Governance structure with the following Committees. Each is chaired by a Non-Executive Director, with the exception of the Appointments and Remuneration Committee which is chaired by the Trust Chairman.
The Committees were established to provide assurance to the Board of Directors:
- Appointments and Remuneration Committee
- Audit Committee
- Charitable Funds Committee
- Finance Committee
- People Committee
- Quality Committee
The balance, completeness and appropriateness of the members of the Board is reviewed periodically and when vacancies arise among Executive or Non-Executive Directors.
Board meetings
In compliance with the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, the Board holds part of its meetings in public, followed by a private business section.
Meetings of the Board of Directors are held bi-monthly with a private Board Development Session held on the months in between formal meetings.
Board of Directors meetings and papersCOVID-19 update
In March 2020, the Board of Directors meeting was held in private due to social distancing requirements imposed by the Government in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subsequent meetings have been held via video-conferencing utilising on-line software to enable members of the public to observe the public session of the meeting.
