14.11.14
‘You have to keep learning’ – CPD for non-executive directors
Source: National Health Executive Nov/Dec 2014
Sue Symington, a non-executive director and vice-chair at Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust, has been named ‘New Chartered Director of the Year’. NHE spoke to her about the role of non-executives within the NHS, and the value of professional development.
Non-executive directors in the NHS have a lot of autonomy – but the best ones ensure they never stop learning about their sector and organisation, and reach for further training to consolidate their skills.
Sue Symington, a non-exec at Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) since 2008, decided in 2012 to seek to become a Chartered Director, a course and qualification offered by the Institute of Directors (IoD). She qualified in April 2013, and the quality of her achievements in exams and professional review assessment saw her named the New Chartered Director of the Year at the IoD’s 2014 awards in October, from a pool of more than 800 candidates.
Confidence to challenge
Talking about some of the board failures in the NHS and corporate worlds, she said: “People qualified to do non-exec roles are probably in with a better chance of making good decisions. I think in the fullness of time, people who take on director roles, particularly non-executive roles with all the responsibilities they hold, will have to do some sort of basic training to demonstrate that they understand the responsibilities of the board.
“On a very personal level, the Chartered Directorship gives you more confidence to challenge the things that you need to understand more clearly, in ways you wouldn’t otherwise.”
The qualification focuses on leadership, strategy, finance, and governance. “Developing increased confidence in all four of those areas has really enabled me to contribute better at board level,” she told us.
She noted how quality in the NHS is about the biggest strategic decisions, but also the individual patient experience.
Clearly the board must hold the executives to account and seek assurance about all aspects of how a trust’s performance. How does Symington do that? “You’ve got to take your assurance from a number of sources, and then be smart enough to triangulate what you learn.
“There are all the performance indicators, so a very obvious one is on mortality ratios, for example, or for a very particular area of service like stroke. It’s about firstly understanding the ‘big’ information you’re provided with – the statistical information – and then triangulating it through your own experiences.”
Symington has more than 20 years’ experience in leadership development, having worked in senior roles across the public, private, and third sectors, and running her own business. She is also a CIPD Chartered Fellow, and a non-exec at Beverley Building Society. She chairs the ‘quality of experience’ and ‘end of life care’ groups at HDFT.
“You have to pull together all sorts of information to get a full picture, and then – very importantly – be unafraid to challenge and learn more. Of course, you always hope you’ve slightly got the wrong end of the stick and that more information will demonstrate that a service is being provided at a good standard,” she said.
Don’t make assumptions
She thinks the quality of NHS non-execs is generally high, although she admitted to a pet hate: those who come into it thinking they are ‘giving something back’ after a long career. “Particularly in the NHS, it’s a remunerated, paid role, and it’s a proper job,” she said. “Difficulties can arise if it’s the view of a non-exec director, often if they’re from the private sector, that they’re coming to ‘give something back to society’ – that assumption that they know best.
“You have to go into a non-exec role with a very open mind: you’ve got a lot of learning to do about your particular organisation and its sector. Imagining that because you’ve been hugely successful in your private sector organisation, or whatever, suddenly puts you at a great advantage to give something back to the NHS – I’m not sure it works like that.”
Consolidating experience
On her award, she told us: “It’s a very distinguished cohort of people who go for this qualification, so I do feel terrifically proud to have been identified as the person who achieved the best results in both the examination and in the quite heavy-going two-hour viva that takes place afterwards. It’s not an easy thing to do.
“Particularly, I’m pleased to have achieved it because it consolidates a lot of experience and puts it in a proper and legitimate framework.
“One of the joys of the role as a non-exec is that you can choose how much or how little continuing development you have. It’s absolutely the case that as a non-exec you have to keep learning, just as you would in an executive role. CPD is critical.”
She said change is in the “nature of the environment”, with the Francis Report and its impacts having been “seismic” for all boards. “It’s really important to ‘stay with it’ and learn about the work of other non-execs, the way they run they their boards, how they collect information and use it. There’s a huge amount to learn within the non-executive community, within different sectors, as well as through formal learning. Legislation changes, the requirements of regulators change; you’ve got to do everything you can to stay on top of that.”
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