Chair

HQ Bicester, Oxfordshire with travel around the South Central region  

Remuneration: £44,000; Time commitment: four days a week on average

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of emergency, urgent care and non-emergency healthcare services, along with commercial logistics services. 

The Trust delivers most of these services to the populations of the South Central region – Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire – as well as non-emergency patient transport services in Surrey and Sussex, and a dental service (accessed via NHS 111) in parts of Dorset. 

It is safe to say that the last year was one of the most difficult ever for the ambulance service, the NHS and the country as a whole. This past year has seen our services in 999, NHS 111, Patient Transport Services (PTS) and Clinical Coordination Centres (CCCs) respond very well to a set of challenges we have never seen before.

The pandemic also saw SCAS take a significant role in establishing eight national services on behalf of NHS England including a dedicated arm of NHS 111 made up of GPs, nurses and pharmacists to help manage the needs of patients with COVID symptoms and the National Booking Service for COVID vaccination.

We have got an exciting and challenging agenda ahead of us; one focused on delivering exceptional services to a diverse and dispersed population as well as overseas. Despite the challenges of the pandemic we launched a healthcare consultancy initiative in India last year in partnership with the Aurobindo Pharma Foundation (APF) to improve healthcare provision and ambulance services in the country and supported the country’s response to COVID-19. This is a model on which we hope to build and introduce similar partnerships in the coming years.

To achieve our aims, we need a diverse and talented board with a range of skills and experience, which effectively reflect and represent the stakeholders and context within which we operate. 

We are seeking a Chair who can add genuine value to our Board - in particular, we are keen to speak with individuals who bring experience gained within, and an understanding of, the wider public service and voluntary sector environments - those who understand the complexity of working with multiple partners and stakeholders and a track record of operating at Board level.  

Above all else, as an organisation whose values drive all that we do, it is imperative that these are consistently and visibly lived at Board level, and that our Board Members perform their duties in a manner consistent with these.  We are looking for an individual with the credibility to challenge constructively, work collaboratively and help us maintain effective stewardship and governance to ensure we truly are fit for the future.

For a confidential discussion contact Melanie Shearer (07785 616548) GatenbySanderson or click on Apply for more information and to apply. 

Closing date Monday 8th November (5pm).