Organisational structure

The Trust is led by the Chairman and Chief Executive and recognises the importance of having strong clinical leadership.

The Board of Directors is the senior decision-making body for the Trust and holds the legal and financial responsibilities for the organisation. The Board comprises the Chairman, Chief Executive, and Executive Directors who undertake the daily operational and strategic business functions and the Non-executive Directors who use their experience and expertise to provide independent advice and objectivity on a part time basis. The Executive Directors have specific areas of responsibility:

• Director of Finance who is also the Deputy Chief Executive
• Director of Nursing and Clinical Governance responsible for nursing staff and allied health care professionals; clinical governance and risk management; complaints; the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and patient involvement.
• Director of Operations responsible for waiting times, outpatients and emergency planning.
• Director of Planning and Performance who is responsible for business planning, information technology, and information services.
• Director of Estates and Facilities responsible for the hospital environment, catering, procurement and parking.
• Director of Human Resources who is also responsible for organisational development, occupational health, the chaplaincy and the day nursery.

Divisions

The clinical areas of the hospital work within three divisions:

• Family Health and Clinical Support
• Surgical
• Medical

Each division is led by a director who is a senior clinician accountable to the Chief Executive. This recently introduced structure aims to allow greater freedom for decision making further down the organisation and as close to the patients as possible. The Trust also has clinical directors within the divisions with the responsibility for:

• Emergency
• Medicine
• Paediatrics
• Radiology
• Pathology
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Anaesthetics
• Orthopaedics
• Surgery

The Hospital Management Team comprises Executive and Divisional Directors, is a sub-committee of the Board of Directors and is accountable primarily for the delivery of the Trust’s Annual Plan. It makes decisions regarding the most efficient way of delivering the organisation’s objectives; approves plans for the effective running of the organisation and monitors performance.

The Board of Governors is the conscience and community voice for the Trust. The Board meets quarterly with members drawn from locally elected public members, elected staff members and appointed members from key partner organisations. The key roles of the Board of Governors, are: to advise on the strategic direction of the Trust; to make key appointments such as the Chairman, non-executive directors and external auditors; to act as ambassadors for the Trust; to develop the Trust’s membership and to represent the views of members.