The South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust was established on 1st April 2007 following the Review of Public Administration from an amalgamation of the Ulster Community & Hospitals Trust and the Down & Lisburn Trust.
The Trust is an integrated health and social care organisation with a budget of circa £800 million serving primarily the population of Ards & North Down, Lisburn and the former Down district area. In addition, the Trust also provides services to a wider population given the proximity of the Ulster Hospital to Belfast.
The main hospital bases are: Ards Community Hospital, Bangor Community Hospital, Downe Hospital, Downshire Hospital, Lagan Valley Hospital and the Ulster Hospital. Community bases are located in many local towns and villages from Moira in the West to Portaferry in the East and from Bangor in the North to Newcastle in the South.
Alongside our commitment to delivering safe, timely, high quality and cost-effective care, the Trust’s mission is to improve health and wellbeing and reduce inequalities by using our size as a force for good and working in partnerships with other organisations such as those responsible for housing and education.
Why the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust Board is supporting Boardroom Apprentice
“The South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust Board believes that the Boardroom Apprentice programme will have significant long term value to the Organisation, Health and Social Care more widely and to society more generally as a further opportunity to encourage, strengthen and sustain best practice in Corporate Governance. Trust Board currently consists of Executive Management Team Directors and six Non-Executive Directors appointed via open competition by the Minister of Health. There are two NED level vacancies (the substantive Chair’s role and one Non-Executive position) with three of our existing six NED members having just been re-appointed for a second four year term commencing 1 January 2021.
Trust Board Non-Executive Directors pay particular attention to internal corporate governance arrangements and best practice elsewhere out of which the proposal to participate in the Boardroom Apprentice programme arose. Trust Board considered that the programme provides opportunities for a pool of talented future leaders to engage with Board and where no such opportunities previously existed and the Trust would be very keen to participate in this programme.
All our Non-Executives participate fully in the Trust’s extensive governance infrastructure whether that is through Trust Board Meetings and Workshops or involvement with our standing sub- committees (Audit, Governance Assurance, Finance & Performance, Charitable Funds and Remuneration Committees) as well our Corporate Control and Safety, Quality & Improvement arrangements.
In the past 12 months, Trust Board has had a new Chair and Board Secretary as well as having to ensure that there was robust and effective governance arrangements in place during the Covid-19 pandemic. Trust Board recognises the importance of timely information, appropriate documentation, constructive feedback, scrutiny and challenge and regular review of corporate risks as contained in our Corporate Risk Register. Trust Board is of the view that a Boardroom Apprentice would bring their own experience and expertise to the work of the Board something which is very much in keeping with the Trust’s Collective Leadership approach as well as our Continuous Improvement culture.”
Location of Board and Committee Meetings
Currently Trust Board and Committee meetings are being facilitated virtually due to the on-going Covid-19 pandemic.
As NI Executive guidance evolves and community transmission levels reduce, Trust Board may consider in due course a return to our previous practice of meeting in person (or a hybrid version thereof) at our Trust HQ at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald, Downshire Hospital in Downpatrick and/or a community partner facility in Lisburn on a pre-set annual rota basis as Trust Board valued the visibility and engagement which comes with taking meetings to locations across the organisation.
Frequency and timing of board/committee meetings
Trust Board meets 8 times a year on the last Wednesday of the month (unless otherwise notified) with Workshops held 4 times per year (February, April, October and December). There are no meetings in the month of July.
Confidential Trust Board meetings commence at 1pm and Public meetings commence at 2pm (since May 2020 as a consequence of Covid-19).
Traditionally Confidential meetings would commence at 9.30am and Public meetings at 11am. Please note that while there are no current plans to revert back to pre-pandemic practice Trust Board may wish to review such arrangements in due course taking into consideration and working with any Boardroom Apprentice who may have joined us at that time.
Each Standing Committee would meet circa 3 to 4 times a year and additional information can be found on the Schedules of Dates which has been attached for your convenience.
Date of Board Meetings (September 2021 – August 2022)
Please find attached our Schedule of Dates for the calendar year 2021 for your information.
For your purposes, we have set out below those relevant dates for the latter part of 2021 and indicative dates for 2022 based on previous practice which will be considered and formalised by Trust Board at its August 2021 meeting.
Wednesday 29 September 2021 (Lisburn Trinity Conference Centre or via Zoom)
Thursday 29 October 2021 – Board Workshop (9.30am to 4pm) (Trust HQ)
Wednesday 24 November 2021 (Trust HQ, Ulster Hospital)
Thursday 2 December 2021 – Board Workshop (9.30am to 12.30pm) (Trust HQ)
Wednesday 26 January 2021 (Trust HQ, Ulster Hospital)
Wednesday 23 February 2022 (Downshire Hospital, Downpatrick)
Wednesday 30 March 2022 (Lisburn Trinity Conference Centre)
Thursday 28 April 2022 – Board Workshop (9.30am to 12.30pm) (Trust HQ)
Wednesday 25 May 2022 (Trust HQ, Ulster Hospital)
Wednesday 29 June 2022 (Trust HQ, Ulster Hospital)
Please note a special one off Confidential Trust Board meeting will be held in June 2022 as per annual practice subject to HSCNI Accounts Timetable as determined by the Departments of Finance and Health for the purpose of considering and if in order approving draft Annual Report and Accounts.
Wednesday 31 August 2022 (Downshire Hospital, Downpatrick)
Committee of the Boards and meeting dates (September 2021 – August 2022)
Please find attached Schedule of Dates for calendar year 2021 for the following Standing Committees of Trust Board:
- Audit Committee
- Finance & Performance Committee
- Governance Assurance Committee
- Charitable Trust Funds Committee
Corporate Control Committee and Safety, Quality & Improvement Committees are sub-Committees of the Governance Assurance Committee.
The Remuneration Committee is the fifth Standing Committee of Trust Board. Given its remit, attendance outside of its designated membership as well as staff colleagues is limited.
The Schedule of Dates for calendar year 2022 will be determined by each Sub-Committee at its scheduled September/October 2021 meetings. Such dates tend by custom and practice to remain fairly consistent from year to year but are subject to change depending on the needs of Trust Board, legislative timescales and/or individual Committee considerations.
