Meeting held at 9:00am on 17 October 2024 at Stella House, Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Present:
Sue Douthwaite, Chair
Michael Brodie, Chief Executive
Kathy Gillatt, Non-Executive Director
David Leather, Non-Executive Director
Randeep Sidhu, Non-Executive Director
Mel Tomlin, Non-Executive Director
Brendan Brown, Chief Operating Officer (items 24/138 to 24/155 only)
Darren Curry, Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer (items 24/138 to 24/155 only)
Mark Dibble, Executive Director of People and Corporate Services
Andy McKinlay, Executive Director of Finance, Commercial and Estates (items 24/138 to 24/155 only)
Allison Newell, Executive Director of Strategy, Performance, Business Development and Growth (items 24/138 to 24/155 only)
In attendance:
Nigel Zaman, Senior Programme Manager, Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
David Jukes, Head of Governance and Corporate Secretary (Secretary to the Board), NHSBSA
Chris Calise, Head of NHS Pensions Service, NHSBSA (items 24/144 and 24/145 only)
Leigh Chapman, ESR Senior Transformation Programme Lead, NHSBSA (Shadow Board representative) (items 24/138 to 24/155 only)
Michael Costello, Head of Strategic Finance, NHSBSA (item 24/149 only)
Jane Miller, Head of Colleague Experience and Social Impact, NHSBSA (item 24/148 only)
Alison O'Brien, Associate Director of Operations (Workforce Services), NHSBSA (items 24/144 and 24/145)
Jeff Pasternack, SRO - Future Workforce Solution Transformation Programme, NHSBSA (items 24/146 and 24/147 only)
Danielle Sharples, Head of OD&D, NHSBSA (Shadow Board representative) (items 24/138 to 24/155 only)
Victoria Usher, Inclusion, Accessibility and Social Impact Lead, NHSBSA (item 24/148 only)
24/138 Apologies for Absence and Declarations of Interest
Apologies were received from Mathew McKie. There were no declarations of interest declared in relation to the Board meeting agenda. D Leather informed the Board that he was now a Nvidia shareholder and that he would add details of this to the NHSBSA Declarations of Interest Register in ESR.
24/139 Minutes of the Meeting held on 17 September 2024
The minutes of the previous meeting were AGREED as an accurate record.
24/140 Matter Arising and Outstanding Actions from Previous Meetings
The Board discussed outstanding actions.
All other actions were complete or not yet due.
The Board NOTED completed actions.
24/141 Chair's Opening Remarks
S Douthwaite welcomed L Chapman and D Sharples to the meeting as Shadow Board representatives.
S Douthwaite reflected on the Board Strategy Day held on 16 October 2024. D Sharples provided feedback on behalf of the Shadow Board members who had attended the Strategy Day.
The Board NOTED the update.
24/142 Chief Executive's Report
M Brodie highlighted key points from his report, including in relation to:
- DHSC/NHSBSA Accountability Review
- Adult Social Care Training Reimbursement - Learning and Development Scheme (LDSS)
- England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS)
- Baby Loss Programme
- NHSBSA WeCARE Awards
- Manager Essentials programme
- Speak Up month
- Black History month
- NHSBSA had been Highly Commended in the Step into Health - Forces Friendly category
- Government Project Delivery Awards 2025
- enei Inclusivity Excellence Awards 2024
The Board NOTED the report.
24/143 DDaT Update
D Curry highlighted key points from the report.
The Board NOTED the update.
(Chris Calise and Alison O'Brien joined the meeting)
24/144 Business Performance Update (Operational Performance Temperature Check)
The Board reviewed the Operational Performance Temperature Check Report.
The Board NOTED the update.
24/145 NHS Pensions Service Update
B Brown, C Calise and A O'Brien highlighted key points from the report.
The Board NOTED the update.
(Chris Calise and Alison O'Brien left the meeting)
(Jeff Pasternack joined the meeting)
24/146 Future Workforce Solution Transformation Programme - Governance and Board Engagement Overview
A McKinlay and J Pasternack provided an overview of the paper.
The Board NOTED the overview.
24/147 Future Workforce Solution Transformation Programme Status Update
J Pasternack provided an overview of the paper.
The Board NOTED the update.
(Jeff Pasternack left the meeting)
(Jane Miller and Victoria Usher joined the meeting)
24/148 Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report 2023/24
M Dibble introduced the item, and J Miller provided an overview of the Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report 2023/24.
The Board wished to thank all colleagues involved in this agenda, including the members of the Colleague Networks.
The Board NOTED the report, and APPROVED publication of the NHSBSA Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Annual Report 2023/24.
(Jane Miller and Victoria Usher left the meeting)
(Michael Costello joined the meeting)
24/149 Finance Report
M Costello provided an overview of the Finance Report.
The Board NOTED the report.
(Michael Costello left the meeting)
24/150 Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) Update
M Dibble introduced the report in his role as Executive Lead for FTSU. M Tomlin updated the Board, as FTSU Non-Executive Champion. D Jukes (FTSU Guardian) provided an overview of the report.
The Board fully supported the work to ensure the NHSBSA had an open and honest culture and wished to thank all colleagues involved including FTSU Champions and colleagues who had come forward and spoken up.
The Board NOTED the update.
24/151 Board Effectiveness Review 2023/24 - Action Plan Update
S Douthwaite introduced the item, underlining the importance and value of the annual effectiveness review and ensuring the Board continued to monitor and discuss areas of development on an ongoing basis.
The Board NOTED the completed actions and reviewed those that were ongoing.
24/152 Any Other Business
A Newell highlighted the updated reporting style used for the Board Health and Social Care System Update Report. S Douthwaite stated that the changes to the report were positive and that it continued to be a valuable update and helped Board members keep abreast of system development.
D Jukes informed the Board that the NHSBSA had received confirmation that the Boardroom Apprentice Programme would continue in 2025 and that the NHSBSA's apprentice for 2025 would be confirmed in December 2024. Also, that the business had promoted the Programme internally as a valuable development opportunity for colleagues.
24/153 Communications from the Meeting
The Board wished to thank colleagues involved in the launch of the new Adult Social Care - Learning and Development Support Scheme; the implementation of further payments as part of the England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS); and the launch of the extended Baby Loss Programme.
The Board recognised the ongoing challenges faced by the Pensions service, supported the ongoing work in this area, and wished to thank all colleagues for their ongoing work and dedication to delivering further improvements for service users.
The Board wished to thank all colleagues involved in the Diversity and Inclusion agenda, including the members of NHSBSA Colleague Networks.
The Board fully supported the work to ensure the NHSBSA had an open and honest culture and wished to thank all colleagues involved, including FTSU champions and colleagues who had come forward and spoken up.
24/154 Forward Agenda and Training Plan
The Board NOTED the forward agenda and training plan.
24/155 Date and Venue of the Next Meeting
The next Board meeting was planned for 12 December 2024.
(Brendan Brown, Leigh Chapman, Darren Curry, Andy McKinlay, Allison Newell and Danielle Sharples left the meeting)
24/156 Confirmed minutes from the Remuneration and Nominations Committee meeting held on 4 July 2024
The Board NOTED the minutes.
24/157 Update from the Remuneration and Nominations Committee meeting held on 15 October 2024 - Alert, Advise, Assurance (AAA) Report
M Tomlin gave an update on the work of the Remuneration and Nominations Committee - this was summarised in an Alert, Advise, Assurance Report issued to the Board.
The Board NOTED the update - and the alerts, advice and assurance provided.