NHS BOARD PUBLIC APPOINTMENTSNHS FIFE

NHS DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY

Every year the NHS in Scotland runs a number of public appointment rounds for board chairs and members.

The number of rounds and the experience gained from them means that it is possible to develop and test new and innovative approaches which are intended to focus on improving the diversity of NHS Board membership in Scotland. During 2014 the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates, working closely with the Scottish Government’s Public Appointments, Wellbeing and Diversity Team (PAWD) and the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland (CESPLS) undertook three rounds where new approaches were developed and tested.

The outcome of the NHS Lanarkshire round has already been published on the CESPLS website as good practice. However, it was recognised that there were a number of lessons which had emerged from that experience and it was decided to apply them in two further rounds in NHS Fife and NHS Dumfries and Galloway respectively. Both rounds were completed by the end of 2014 and all the new members have since taken up their positions.

In both cases, right from the outset, the intention was to appoint people with a deep understanding of disadvantaged communities in the areas concerned, considerable knowledge of the experience of service users and carers and of having to overcome barriers in different aspects of their lives. It was recognised, too, that in order to reach, attract and ultimately appoint people who were truly representative of disadvantaged communities or who had service user and carer experience that different approaches to advertising and assessment would be necessary. Further, it was recognised that applicants from ‘non-traditional’ backgrounds may have never served on a board of governance or had experience in large complex organisations. Accordingly, the panel, while ensuring the integrity of the process was maintained in accordance with the Code1, sought to provide every opportunity for participation and engagement for people new to the Ministerial appointment process.

At the planning stage, both panels gave careful consideration to:

the competencies, skills, knowledge and experience which would be assessed – these were framed to clearly demonstrate the basis on which ‘merit’ would be determined

the design of the application form - care was taken to ensure it was not overly complex or daunting, while still offering applicants the opportunity to provide a broad range of information about themselves and their experiences

how these opportunities would be advertised – it was agreed not to use print media, but to rely instead on social media, networking and awareness raising but with extensive activity to reach into communities in new ways

1http://www.ethicalstandards.org.uk/publications/publication/222/2013-code-of-practice-for-ministerial-appointments-to-public-bodies-in-scotland

the interview stage – it was agreed that there should be a move away from the standard interview set up to one which was intended to be more informal in terms of the environment and approach. This meant asking applicants to offer their perspective on a question provided in advance which the panel then used to facilitate a discussion on a semi-structured basis rather than questions and answers in the traditional way. It was still necessary for the panel to be satisfied that the evidence was captured and written-up, but it meant that the discussion was more natural and free flowing than tends to be the case in a traditional interview. The panel could still probe and seek clarity, but in ways which were carefully designed to help the applicants engage in a process which might be unfamiliar to them

It is clear from both the NHS Fife and NHS Dumfries and Galloway rounds that many more ‘non-traditional’ candidates applied and got further through the assessment process. Overall, there were 25 applications in NHS Fife and 70 applications in NHS Dumfries and Galloway.

The appointments which were made demonstrate the impact of the emphasis placed on diversity, different skills, experience and background than has been seen in other public appointment rounds in the NHS. Commenting on outcome, Phil Jones, the Chair of NHS Dumfries and Galloway said:

“for NHS Dumfries and Galloway the approach facilitated the appointment of two outstanding young women to a Board that celebrates diversity and champions equality. The balance of the Board delivered by the new approach is good and we now have an environment and culture that encourages everyone to bring their own unique perspective to bear and contribute to the ongoing development of a health organisation.”

Subsequently, both NHS Fife and NHS Dumfries and Galloway designed bespoke induction arrangements recognising that additional and ongoing support might be necessary for new members coming from different backgrounds.

Further information about the new board members is available from:

NHS Fife (www.nhsfife.org): Moira Adams, Martin Black and Christina Cooper NHS Dumfries and Galloway (www.nhsdg.scot.nhs.uk): Lesley Bryce and

Grace Cardozo

The Scottish Government news releases issued when the appointments were made provide their biographies:

http://www.appointed-for-scotland.org/media/8238/news-release110215.docx http://www.appointed-for-scotland.org/media/8184/nhs-fife-news-release-

2015.doc

The learning from the NHS Fife and NHS Dumfries and Galloway has since been used in the recent public appointment round for NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Further information on the approaches used in NHS Fife and NHS Dumfries and Galloway (and developments in NHS public appointments more widely) is available from Colin Brown, Deputy Director in the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates who chaired both panels (and the NHS Lanarkshire panel referred to above) by email: colin.brown3@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or 0131 244 2131.