Jessie May Children’s Hospice at Home charity is seeking a Senior Nurse to join our Board of Trustees.
Our charity provides a palliative nursing care service to children with life limiting conditions and their families in their own homes. Our team of registered children’s nurses and nursery nurses provide specialist respite care, emotional support, end of life care and bereavement support to over 180 children and families from our Bristol base.
You will join our clinical group of trustees which includes a GP and a community paediatrician on our Quality Assurance Committee, contributing your clinical experience and your knowledge of nursing policy and practice.
This is a rewarding role which will give you a real opportunity to make a difference to the life of children with life limiting conditions and their families.
This is a voluntary unpaid role for an initial three year term of office.
If you think you may be interested in this role, please contact the CEO Daniel Cheesman on07341 736493 or by email: daniel.cheesman@jessiemay.org.uk
Jessie May Trustees
The Charity Commission states that Trustees have independent control over, and legal responsibility for, a charity’s management and administration. The three key legal responsibilities are to:
- Act in your charity’s best interests
- Manage your charity’s resources responsibly
- Act with reasonable care and skill
Jessie May values the knowledge, skills and experience of the Trustees and the ways in which, individually and collectively, Trustees contribute to the effective governance, support and promotion of the charity.
This paper sets out an approach to Trustee recruitment, induction, ongoing support and training, and terms of office.
Maintaining a diverse and relevant Board of Trustees
A Trustee knowledge and skills matrix will be held, setting out the range of expertise that Jessie May believes will best serve the charity. This will be refreshed annually and, as Trustee vacancies occur, recruitment will be based on those areas where there are gaps.
Recruitment Process
All vacancies will be advertised through a range of sector channels, as well as via the networks of existing Trustees. No- or low-cost advertising will be used in the first instance but more commercial channels may need to be used if the response is not sufficient for effective recruitment. Wherever possible, recruitment will be clustered to make best use of time and energy in securing a robust outcome for Jessie May.
Application will be via CV. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to meet with the CEO and Chair and, where possible, with Jessie May staff. Subject to a satisfactory discussion, applicants will be invited to meet the Board of Trustees and all feedback will be collated to inform the appointment decision.
Successful candidates will attend the next available Board meeting as an observer and take up full responsibilities at the subsequent meeting.
What Trustees can expect from Jessie May
- A thorough induction, with support from a mentor Trustee
- The opportunity to identify training needs relevant to the role – both initially and as part of an ongoing process
- Access to all relevant Jessie May documents, as well as to sector publications that underpin the effective delivery of Trustee duties and responsibilities
- Access to online Trustee training and accredited Safeguarding training
- An annual discussion with the Chair where successes, concerns and issues are identified, leading to an anonymised Board Training Needs Analysis
- An annual Board away day, the content of which is based on identified need and Jessie May priorities
What is expected of Trustees
- Trustees will be appointed for a three year term of office which may be renewed upto three times. No Trustee will serve longer than nine years, unless the Board believes that the knowledge, skills and experience of the individual Trustee are so valuable to Jessie May that an exception may be made, and the individual Trustee is willing
- Trustees are expected to attend Board meetings quarterly; attendance will be monitored by the Chair who will discuss any individual issues should a Trustee struggle with consistent attendance
- Trustees are expected to undertake training relevant to the role, including safeguarding and the legal duties of a Trustee
- Trustees are encouraged to become members of a sub-committee and/or working groups, based on their area of expertise, or their wish for personal development. The sub-committees also meet quarterly to dovetail with Board meetings
- Trustees are encouraged to attend the Families’ Christmas Party, the annual Tree of Light Service and other family social events. Their presence is also welcome at staff training events
- The time commitment varies throughout the year but is estimated at 5 hours per month.
Induction
- New trustees will have face to face meetings with the CEO and Chair to go through the key duties and responsibilities of a trustee, as well as the history, development and aspirations of Jessie May.
- New trustees will be allocated a ‘buddy’ who can support and guide them in their role as a trustee in the first few months.
- New trustees should visit the Jessie May office to meet with staff and thereafter at least once per year.
- New trustees should accompany a Jessie May nurse on a family visit to gain an insight into their work, and how this benefits the children and families.
Nursing Expertise
Jessie May provides a nurse-led service and so the inclusion of a senior experienced nurse on the Board of Trustees is essential. In addition to the duties and responsibilities set out above, Trustees with nursing expertise have the opportunity to:
- Become members of the Quality Assurance Committee, in order to oversee and scrutinise clinical governance, risk management and safeguarding
- Chair the Quality Assurance Committee
- Provide advice about approaches to specific clinical issues for individual children, where this is requested through Care Team Leaders. However, the Trustee will not be expected to provide specific clinical care, nor take accountability for any care.
- Provide advice on clinical governance and professional nursing issues
- Take part in the recruitment process for clinical staff to the Jessie May Care Team, to include shortlisting and interviewing
- Take part on short life working groups on specific clinical issues e.g. referrals, medication and prescribing issues
- Identify areas of personal interest where more in-depth contribution of expertise could be offered