Appendix three

Compliance with provider licence: governor training declaration.

The Board is satisfied that during the financial year most recently ended, the Trust has provided the necessary training to its governors, as required in s151(5) of the Health and Social Care Act, to ensure they are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to undertake their role.

Governors at Lancashire and South Cumbria are supported in discharging their responsibilities through a comprehensive training and development programme delivered by the Trust, with opportunities for bespoke training in specialist areas such as Understanding NHS Finance, Recruitment and Interview Skills and Holding to Account including the role of the Senior Independent Director. Engagement with Members and External Audit. Opportunities for external training and networking are also provided to Governors on a regular basis and are factored into the training and development programme. The programme is approved by the Council of Governors on an annual basis. Development sessions on key areas of Trust business are also covered including preparation for a CQC inspection and changes to the Integrated Care System and implications for Governors.

Six new Governors joined in January 2023 and attended the Governor Induction Programme which recognises the complexity of the Governor role, and which has been designed to assist new Governors to incrementally develop the comprehensive knowledge required over time. This is in addition to the continuous support offered to Governors on a day-to-day basis and during meetings. The Induction Programme was approved by the Council and covers the following areas:

Day one - initial induction day, 5 January 2023

Topic: 

  • Welcome and introduction
  • The role of governor - overview of responsibilities and duties
  • Council governance structure - role of each committee, reporting into full council
  • Introduction to LSCft
  • Welcome from Board members
  • Governor handbook walkthrough including the code of conduct

Lead:

  • Trust Chair
  • Company Secretary Team
  • Chief Executive

Day two - 14 February 2023 (following the informal session)

Topic:

  • Check in following first full council meeting
  • How to: holding the non-executive directors to account for the performance of the Board, appointment process and appraisal process

Lead:

  • Trust Chair
  • Senior Independent Director
  • Company Secretary Team
  • HR Team (employment services)

Day three - 28 March 2023 (following the informal session)

Topic:

  • Check in
  • How to: appointing the external auditors and their role
  • Understanding NHS finance, including role around approving significant transactions

Lead:

  • Audit Committee Chair
  • Company Secretary Team
  • Chief Finance Officer

Day four - 11 April 2023 (following the formal CoG)

Topic:

  • Check in following governors attendance at their first committee meeting
  • Overview of the Membership Strategy
  • How to: representing the views of members
  • Overview of the Service User and Carer Strategy and Council

Lead:

  • Company Secretary Team
  • Communications Team

Final day - 18 July 2023 (following formal CoG)

Topic: Check in and review of the first six months

Lead: 

  • Trust Chair
  • Company Secretary Team

 

Nominated governors will be inducted at the point of nomination.

The Trust has continued to acknowledge the important role of a Governor and as part of the introduction to the newly appointed Trust Chair, organised a number of sessions with Governors to explore their reflections on the effectiveness of the Council, and their role and relationships with Board, staff, service users and partners. The feedback provided four areas for focussed improvement and the Improvement Plan already in place following
the AQuA Effectiveness Review undertaken in 2021, was updated to reflect the feedback.

The four areas of improvement covered:

  • the support provided to Governors;
  • the workings of the Council and its Committees;
  • the relationship with the Board of Directors; and
  • membership, engagement and links to Place.

Work has been undertaken to progress the specific actions against each of these areas including:
Support provided to Governors

  • the strengthening of the induction programme as outlined above
  • refresh of welcome information
  • a training and development programme

Working of the Council and its Committees

  • schedule of four formal meetings and plans for development sessions in between
  • opportunities for Governors to influence agendas
  • face-to-face formal meetings
  • focus on improved data and information to the Council

Relationship with the Board of Directors

  • Joint Board and Council Development Sessions
  • Board and Council Networking Session held
  • Non-Executive Director attendance at formal Council meetings and formal presentations

Membership, engagement and links to Place

  • Implementation of a new membership database
  • Engagement and networking with members in readiness for the 2024 Election
  • In depth review of the Trust Constitution including the constituency boundaries to create stronger links to Place
  • Commenced the refresh of the Membership Strategy
  • Development of engagement material and communication with new and existing members

The Lead Governor role provides ‘governor to governor’ support and guidance with support from the Deputy Lead Governor. This has been an important mechanism in strengthen the systems and processes which enable the Council to work effectively.

As outlined above, Governors have continued to interact with Non-Executive Directors through a networking session which took place in January 2023 following the appointment of three new Non-Executive Directors and an Associate Non-Executive Director, and changes amongst the Executive Team. Joint Board and Council development sessions have been scheduled during 2023/24 with one taking place in May 2023 focussing on the refresh of the Trust’s Strategy.

In support of the open and transparent communication between Board and the Council of Governors, Governors have been invited to attend Board of Directors meetings held in public on a rotational basis to allow Governors to further develop their knowledge around the Board. The Lead Governor produces a quarterly report which describes the activity undertaken by Governors. This is reported to the Council and onward to the Board. Governors have also been provided with the opportunity to attend the formal Committees of the Board. Non-
Executive Directors are requested to attend the formal Council meetings and present on their areas of focus including the work of the Committees they Chair or attend. This has been invaluable in holding Non-Executive Directors to account.

Governors have continued to contribute to the appraisal of the Non-Executive Directors including the Trust Chair. The Trust will continue to ensure that Governors are supported to actively engage with the appraisals process and adapt the approach to meet the needs of the Council where appropriate. As part of this years appraisal process, the Lead Governor has provided an opportunity to meet with Governors informally to discuss feedback collectively on the Trust Chair and this approach has been adopted for Non-Executive Director appraisals.
Governors have continued to attend Director Engagement Visits alongside Non-Executive Directors and Executive Directors. This provides an opportunity to learn more about the services the Trust provides and to meet staff and service users as part of Governor engagement activities. The visits also provide further networking opportunities for Non-Executive Directors and Governors.

In addition to internal training, Governors have also benefitted from training provided by external organisations. This has included training on effective questioning and challenge, accountability and core skills. The Trust also endeavours to send a governor representative to the NHS Providers Governor Focus Conference. Learning from training is effectively captured and shared with the Council through the Lead Governor Report to ensure that there is a wider learning.