Annual Report and Accounts 2012/13 - Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital

5. Our Governors and Members
Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
Annual Report and Accounts 2012/13
103
Enhancing the
Effectiveness of CoG
working group
This group works on ensuring that
the CoG’s own processes are fit for
purpose. It undertakes the necessary
housekeeping involved in managing a
group of volunteers to maximise their
contribution to the work of
the Governors.
It also has a remit of continuous
improvement – ensuring that it
assesses what the Governors are doing
and ways in which these processes or
projects could be improved.
Over the course of the year the group
has progressed a number of work
streams including:
• Agreeing its terms of reference
and developing a comprehensive
work plan for the year. The Group
also ensured that other working
groups and Committees reviewed
and updated their terms of
reference
• Identifying the key lessons from
the CoG Effectiveness Review and
ensuring that these issues were
prioritised and acted on in the year
• Working on how the Board
and CoG work together and
in particular how the CoG can
better hold the Board of Directors
accountable
• Attendance monitoring to ensure
that all Governors play an active
role in the work of the Council
• Working with the Trust secretariat
to work on the agenda
and outcomes for the joint
development day with the Board
and planning for the new Board
to Council meeting scheduled for
later in 2013
• The group tasked the Nominations
Committee with reviewing its own
Terms of Reference and developing
a policy for the removal of a
Chairman, to be completed by
October 2013
• The Group also considered
proposals to make changes to the
Nominations Committee processes
and membership in light of lessons
learned following the recruitment
of two new NEDs during the year
• The Group also considered the
consequences of the Health and
Social Care Act and the likely
knock-on impact for the Trust
Constitution
• The Group set up a rota for
Governors attending open
Board meetings
• The Group also worked with staff
Governors to see if there were
specific initiatives to maintain the
interests and commitment of staff
Governors as well as promoting the
concept to staff within the Trust
• The Group commissioned a
refreshed Governors' Reference
File
• The Group reviewed the
information that currently goes
to the CoG following the issues
identified in the evaluation of CoG
effectiveness. The Group found
that Governors are generally
happy with the information
presented but also highlighted
the importance of requesting
additional data if useful. Although
the information relates to a quarter
that occurred a relatively long time
ago, it does outline the Board and
Monitor’s update and what was
actually done, and most recent outturn
information is also given.