Standards for Members of NHS Boards and Governing Bodies in England

CMI submission to CHRE on Standards for members of NHS boards and
governing bodies in England

April 2012

Contact:

Philippa Tucker
Public Affairs Manager
philippa.tucker@managers.org.uk
Tel: 0207 421 2723

Summary

CMI very much welcomes the forthcoming Standards of competence and behaviour for senior
NHS leaders. We are in favour of all steps to strengthen and improve ethical standards for
executive and non-executive NHS Board members in England.

As the professional body for professional managers and leaders, CMI has many years’
experience of enforcing its own ethical code of conduct, which requires our members to
operate in an open and honest way, to safeguard the reputation and assets of their employer
organisation, and to continue to develop professionally. When necessary, CMI conducts
disciplinary hearings and withdraws members from individuals who have been found to have
breached the code of conduct.

The proposed ethical standards are a good starting point – they cover the required
competency areas for such senior individuals, ie. personal behaviours, technical competence
and business practices.

However, we would urge that the Standards include a reference to an individual striving to
develop their leadership and management skills; although some of the behaviours of a
professional leader are covered in the standard, there could be a greater emphasis placed on
continuing professional development outside of technical competencies.

We would also like to see the Standards extended to leaders and managers operating at all
levels of the NHS. Although it is important to embed ethical standards and behaviours in the
most senior individuals within an organisation, these behaviours should be displayed by all
leaders and managers throughout the NHS, in order to protect patients and to help all those
facing “dilemmas and difficult decisions” in their everyday work

Ultimately, the test of the effectiveness of such Standards is the way they are applied and
implemented. We understand that this is outside the scope of CHRE’s project. However, we
urge CHRE, the Department of Health, and other key stakeholder bodies (eg. the Institute of
Healthcare Managers, NHS Employers, NHS Confederation, etc) to coordinate closely the
implementation of these standards. Without effective enforcement of the standards, they will
simply become a paper-based exercise.

About the Chartered Management Institute

The Chartered Management Institute is the only chartered professional body in the UK dedicated to
promoting the highest standards of management and leadership excellence. CMI sets the standard
that others follow.

As a membership organisation, CMI has been providing forward-thinking advice and support to
individuals and businesses for more than 50 years, and continues to give managers and leaders, and
the organisations they work in, the tools they need to improve their performance and make an impact.
As well as equipping individuals with the skills, knowledge and experience to be excellent managers
and leaders, CMI’s products and services support the development of management and leadership
excellence across both public and private sector organisations.

Through in-depth research and policy surveys of its 90,000 individual and 450 corporate members,
CMI maintains its position as the premier authority on key management and leadership issues.

CMI conducts a wide range of activities in the health sector. We have around 3,000 members in the
sector, and work with a range of NHS employers to deliver skills training, eg. qualifications, coaching
and mentoring and accreditation services. Some examples of the health sector organisations we work
with include Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, the General Medical Council, the Royal
College of Physicians and the Heart of England NHS Trust, Birmingham.

Answers to consultation questions

Below we have provided answers to the consultation questions which we feel require specific
comment.

Question 2
We feel that the existing areas are sufficient (i.e. personal behaviours, technical competence and
business practices) but the proposed Standards do not go far enough to improve the quality of
leadership and management.

For example, under “personal behaviours”, CMI’s own code of ethics (a copy of which is attached)
requires a manager to “strive for excellence at all times”. We also require leaders and managers to
“act only within my level of competence and in accordance with the highest standards of professional
behaviour and performance”, whereas the CHRE’s draft standards make no reference to an individual
recognising the limit of his or her competence, or striving to reach the highest standards of
professional behaviour.

The “Integrity” bullet point could also go further – instead of “raising concerns if I see harmful
behaviour or misconduct by others”, CMI’s code of practice requires an individual to “act consistently
and fairly when addressing any shortfall in performance or standards of behaviour”. Given the
backdrop of events and incidents which these standards are designed to address, the standards
would be made stronger by an explicit reference to leaders taking responsibility for resolving
instances of misconduct and harmful behaviour, rather than just raising concerns.

In terms of technical competence, we consider that leadership and management skills go hand in
hand with a person’s technical skills to make that person a professional manager. It would therefore
strengthen the Standards if they required a leader to develop and improve their leadership and
management skills, so as to improve the performance of the organisation as a whole.

The reference to “patient experience” under point 5.5 could be made more explicit by referring instead
to “the views of patients, their families and carers”.

Question 7
Yes – we believe the standards should be applied to Executive and non-executive Board members.

General
We are happy for our response to be published or circulated as required – it is not confidential.

CMI
April 2012

Standards for Members of NHS Boards and Governing Bodies in England

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