Freedom of information publication scheme
How we make decisions
The duties of the Board include setting the Trust’s direction and strategy, and ensuring that:
- the Trust has a sound basis for managing the work it does and for managing performance and patient safety
- the Trust operates within sound rules of governance (covering legal, environmental (carbon reduction), financial and staff matters)
- there is a sound relationship with staff and the community it serves
The Executive team
The Executive Team is responsible for the day-to-day management of the trust in accordance with the Trust's policies and national statutory and other relevant guidance. The Executive Directors are full-time employees of the trust.
It is a requirement that the Board has a chief executive, chief financial officer, chief nurse, medical director and one other, who are eligible to vote. The Board can appoint additional members to cover other functions, but they will not be voting members.
Board committees
The Board is expected to have a number of formal committees to enable it to discharge its responsibilities for ensuring proper governance of the Trust.
Committees reporting directly to the Trust Board include Remuneration, Audit, Finance, Charitable Funds and Risk Assurance.
Committees focusing on quality and performance include Clinical Outcomes and Effectiveness, The Quality and Safety Group and the Quality and Safety Group.
Board meetings
The Trust arranges six bi-monthly meetings per year which are held in public, as well as an open Annual General Meeting.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the meetings, and there is a set time allocation for the Board to receive questions regarding issues raised. For more complex questions it is necessary that you submit these in advance.
View details of Board meetings and papers
Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)
NHS trusts have a duty under the Nation Health Service Act 2006 (sections 13Q and 242) and the Health and Social Care Act 2012 (section 14Z2) to involve and consult their users and stakeholders about services and when they are planning changes that would impact services.
There is also evidence that supports better health outcomes when patients are involved in managing their healthcare.
Voluntary community and social enterprise partners play a vital part in bringing expert knowledge about the health needs of patients with particular conditions.
NHS England Participation and Involvement Guidance
The Trust would welcome your involvement as a patient representative or carer to help improve its services, offer input into service re-design, or help the Patients' Panel on the wards with various questionnaires around the hospital sites of Watford, Hemel Hempstead and St. Albans.
See more information on how to get involved.
Non-executive directors
The non-executive directors are appointed by a special Appointments Commissioner who selects them following advertisements in the local press. They are expected to bring the community's perspective to the management of the trust and to provide an independent overview of the work of the Trust's executive functions. Non-executive directors are selected with a view to representing the cultural, ethnic and business composition of the local community.
For more information on becoming a non-executive director in the NHS.
Board members – see The Trust Board page to see who’s who, declarations of interest, Board papers and our annual report.
Clinical leads
The Trust has strong clinical leadership with those on the Board and the support of divisional directors to improve the quality of care and patient outcomes.
