The Christie NHS FT Annual Report & Accounts 2019-20

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust Annual Report & Accounts 2019-20

Directors’ Report

Our board of directors’

The role of an NHS Foundation Trust Board of Directors is to be collectively responsible for the exercise of the powers and the performance of the NHS Foundation Trust. Its role is to provide active leadership of the Trust within a framework of prudent and effective controls which enables risk to be assessed and managed. Our board is responsible for ensuring the Trust is compliant with its terms of authorisation, its constitution, mandatory guidance, relevant statutory requirements, contractual obligations and for governing The Christie NHS Foundation Trust effectively so that our patients, public and stakeholders have confidence that their care is in safe hands. The quality and safety of our services are of paramount importance to us all; the board ensures that it applies all the relevant principles and standards of clinical governance. All members of the board meet the ‘fit and proper’ person test as described in the provider licence.

Our authorisation from our regulator and constitution govern the operation of the Trust. The schedule of reservation and delegation of powers sets out the types of decisions that must be taken by the board of directors and those which can be delegated to management. As required under Schedule A of the NHS Foundation Trust Code of Governance (A.1.1), the Trust’s constitution (Annex 7, 10.3) defines which decisions must be taken by the council of governors and how disagreements between the board and the council should be resolved. Annex 6 paragraph 2 describes how the chairman or a non-executive director may be terminated. Further detail can be obtained from our Constitution which is accessible via our website. Our board considers that it has complied with the requirements of the constitution relating to board composition. The board is satisfied that it has acted appropriately, been balanced and complete and has contained a suitable range of appropriate and complementary skills and experience.

98