Non-Executive Directors
Dear Candidate
I am delighted that you are considering joining us as a Non-Executive Director or Associate Non-Executive Director. These are pivotal roles on our Board and we are looking for people who are as passionate as we are about improving our care and services to achieve the very best outcomes for people with enduring mental illness and learning disabilities.
Our Trust has a workforce of over 5,000 hardworking, committed, and dedicated staff, but we have struggled for many years to provide the quality of care that our service users and carers deserve. There is, however, much to be proud of with positive signs of improvement. Our CQC rating improved in the most recent inspection report published in February 2023, moving from Inadequate to Requires Improvement and a rating of Good for Caring overall. We are at an early stage in our improvement and transformation journey and whilst this is an indication we are able to change and improve our services, we still have much more to do. The creation of our five locality groups is a key step towards transforming the way in which we work and provide care to those who need us.
The opportunities
We are looking to appoint three new Non-Executive Directors and an Associate Non-Executive Director to refresh our Board. In all these roles we are looking for exceptional leaders who share our ambition and determination to improve. You will be passionate about the wellbeing of our people and think differently to challenge the status quo, build collaborations, and enable us to find new opportunities and meet future challenges at an organisational and system level. Our Board is developing as a highly collaborative, effective, and cohesive unit and we continue to bring broader and more diverse voices to the team.
For one of the roles we are seeking a financially qualified leader who brings astute financial acumen and the ability to quickly interpret complex performance metrics. Previous NHS experience is not essential; you will demonstrate the ability to translate your experience to add value in our context at a time of intense resourcing pressures. You are likely to already have NED or Trustee experience and have been a chair or member of a Finance Committee. For the second and third NED roles we are seeking an experienced public sector leader with board level or equivalent experience and ideally NHS experience, who will support us in strengthening our approach to assurance as a unitary board. We ideally looking for an individual with clinical leadership experience and an understanding of the mental health sector.
Our Associate Non-Executive Director will participate in all aspects of the workings of our Board and we are particularly looking for senior leadership experience of leading cultural change in person-centred environments with a commitment to, and lived experience of, equality, diversity and inclusion.
The appointed individuals will bring relevant experience which they can translate effectively to our environment; and be able to demonstrate their capacity to absorb and understand health and social care policy, stakeholders, and governance requirements including an appreciation of the risks we manage in our services. You will demonstrate sound judgement and political acumen that will bring focus and a fresh perspective to our aims as a system partner within a significant public service organisation.
As a Non-Executive Director you will share responsibility with fellow Board members for setting the appropriate tone and culture of our organisation and will therefore have the highest standards of personal integrity with a clear understanding of, and alignment to, our values. You will need to be a strategic thinker who will understand the challenges of operating as part of a unitary Board. Politically astute, you will enjoy engaging and working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that NSFT delivers its priorities and works effectively with its system partners.
We want our Board to provide a broad spectrum of lived experience and are keen to attract candidates who can bring diverse perspectives. We welcome expressions of interest from the widest possible range of backgrounds, particularly those who are under-represented at Board level in the NHS.

Zoe Billingham, CBE Chair

Rebecca Toye, Lead Governor