Non Executive Director - Legal in Gateshead

We are seeking a Non-Executive Director to complement our existing Board Members, using their skills and experiences to help us to achieve our ambitions and strategy. We are seeking a Non-Executive Director with a legal qualification and significant legal experience. We recognise the value that legal expertise can add to our Board of Directors, providing constructive feedback and input into complex issues.

Main duties of the role:

• As a Non-Executive Director, you will work alongside the Chair, other Non-Executive Directors and Executive Directors of the Trust as a full member of the Board.
• You will be individually and collectively accountable with the other Directors for the success of the organisation and will have the responsibility to constructively challenge the decisions of the Board and help develop proposals on priorities, risk mitigation, values, standards and strategies.
• As a qualified lawyer you will bring independent legal knowledge and judgement to the work of the Board and its committees, utilising your subject matter knowledge to constructively contribute to debate and decision-making.

Non-Executive Director appointments are made by the Trust's Council of Governors taking into account local needs and the requirements of the Code of Governance for NHS Provider Trusts. A Non-Executive Director with communications experience would add real value to our Board discussions – ensuring that we adopt the most effective approach to communicating with our patients, people, the public and partners. This is a desirable rather than essential criteria in our person specification.

About us:

At Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust we provide a wide range of acute, community and older peoples' mental health services to our local community and beyond. We also provide a range of specialist services including bowel screening for a population of around 7 million people and specialist gynaecological cancer treatments from the Scottish Borders through to Cumbria and Whitby. We employ over 5,100 people and have over 400 hospital beds across the Gateshead area. We have an annual turnover of around £400 million and our wholly-owned subsidiary, QE Facilities, provides a wide range of high-quality services to the Trust and other NHS organisations.

Our philosophy is that to achieve the best patient care and outcomes we must be clinically-led and management supported – this is an integral part of our approach to everything we do. We have three main strategic ambitions as outlined in our 2025-2030 Corporate Strategy: to be a Centre of Excellence for Women's Health; to be Centre of Excellence for Diagnostic Services; and to provide safe high-quality services for all. We believe that by achieving these ambitions we will be able to make a valuable contribution to the healthcare of the people of Gateshead, but also to the wider North East and North Cumbria.

We are proud to be rated as 'good' overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) at our last full inspection. Our maternity services were inspected in 2023 and we were delighted to be rated as 'good' with a number of areas of outstanding practice highlighted. We are a key member of the Great North Healthcare Alliance with our valued provider partners at Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals, Northumbria Healthcare and North Cumbria Integrated Care. This provides us with real opportunities to collaborate together to ensure that collectively we deliver the best care to patients in the north of the region.

Job responsibilities:

• The Non-Executive Director role has been aligned to the six leadership competency areas outlined in the NHS England Leadership Competency Framework:
• Driving high-quality and sustainable outcomes
• Setting strategy and delivering long-term transformation
• Promoting equality and inclusion, and reducing health and workforce inequalities
• Providing robust governance and assurance
• Creating a compassionate, just and positive culture
• Building trusted relationships with partners and communities

Person Specification:

Qualifications & skills:

• Essential:
• A recognised legal qualification and associated significant legal experience
• A deeply-rooted commitment to the delivery of safe, high-quality, compassionate and joined-up care, and to its continuous improvement
• High level of understanding and interest in healthcare issues
• Ability to understand and contribute to the strategic direction of a large and complex organisation
• Proven leadership skills
• Clear understanding, and acceptance, of the legal duties, liabilities, and responsibilities of Non-Executive Directors
• Ability to fulfil fit and proper person requirements of the role

Values:

• Essential:
• A commitment to NHS values and principles of NHS Foundation Trusts
• Ability to work with and influence senior leaders in the NHS across all professional/management disciplines

Experience:

• Essential:
• Ability to work with and influence senior leaders across all professional/management disciplines
• High level of understanding and interest in healthcare issues
• Clear understanding, and acceptance, of the legal duties, liabilities, and responsibilities of Non-Executive Directors
• Sufficient time and commitment to fulfil the role
• Desirable:
• The temperament, ability and experience to work at a Board level (previous Board-level experience is desirable, but not essential) as full support will be offered
• Previous experience of chairing committees is desirable, but not essential as full support will be given
• Awareness / willingness to develop an awareness of mass public health issues which may affect the Trust

How to apply:

Applications should be emailed to Scot McHarg, our appointed recruitment consultant at NRG Executive, at scotmcharg@nrgplc.com. If you wish to be considered for the role, please provide:

• A CV that includes your address and preferred contact details, highlighting and explaining any gaps in your employment history.
• A supporting statement outlining your skills, experience, values and motivations for applying, clearly demonstrating how you meet the criteria set out in the Person Specification.
• The names, positions and contact details of three referees in a senior or line management capacity.
• Details of any dates when you will not be available for interview.

Closing date: 2nd April 2026

Interview date: 24th April 2026

Remuneration: £13,715 per annum

Informal Discussions:

For an initial informal discussion about the roles, please contact Scot McHarg at NRG Executive, again via scotmcharg@nrgplc.com. NRG Executive are supporting the Trust with this appointment and can provide further information about the opportunity.

Diversity & Inclusion Policy:

We value and promote diversity and are committed to equality of opportunity for all. We believe that the best Boards are those that reflect the communities they serve and we particularly welcome applications from groups currently under-represented at Board level.

Eligibility:

Please note that to be eligible to apply for this role candidates must reside in the North East and North Cumbria (i.e. the geographical area covered by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System).

Disclosure and Barring Service Check:

Given the significant public profile and responsibility Board Members hold, appropriate background checks will be undertaken to ensure those appointed meet Fit and Proper Person requirements. Applications will be assessed on merit as part of a fair and open process, from the widest possible pool of candidates.