Meeting held at 9:00am on 20 March 2025 at Stella House, Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Present:
Sue Douthwaite, Chair
Michael Brodie, Chief Executive
Kathy Gillatt, Non-Executive Director
David Leather, Non-Executive Director
Mathew McKie, Non-Executive Director
Randeep Sidhu, Non-Executive Director (via video conference)
Mel Tomlin, Non-Executive Director
Brendan Brown, Chief Operating Officer (Items 25/21 to 25/43 only)
Darren Curry, Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer (Items 25/21 to 25/43 only)
Mark Dibble, Executive Director of People and Corporate Services
Andy McKinlay, Executive Director of Finance, Commercial and Estates (Items 25/21 to 25/43 only)
In attendance:
Nigel Zaman, Senior Programme Manager, DHSC
David Jukes, Head of Governance and Corporate Secretary (Secretary to the Board), NHSBSA
Elise Anastasi, Data and Insight Analyst - Professional Lead, NHSBSA (Observer) (Items 25/21 to 25/43 only)
Simon Bourke, Head of Pensions Management Consulting, PWC (Item 25/35 only)
Michael Costello, Head of Strategic Finance, NHSBSA (Items 25/28, 25/29, 25/36, 25/37 and 25/38 only)
Lee Emery, Senior Finance Business Partner, NHSBSA (Items 25/28 and 25/29 only)
Neil Emery, Business Manager, NHSBSA (Shadow Board Representative) (Items 25/21 to 25/43 only)
Jane Miller, Head of Colleague Experience and Social Impact (Item 25/32 only)
Hasan Mubarak, Performance and Benefits Lead, NHSBSA (Items 25/33 to 25/35 only)
Sean Murphy, Head of Commercial Services, NHSBSA (Items 25/36 to 25/38 only)
Alison O'Brien, Associate Director of Operations (Workforce), NHSBSA (Item 25/35 only)
Ashleigh Peel-Lowes, Head of Strategy, Planning and Performance, NHSBSA (Items 25/28 to 25/31)
Neil Pragnell, Head of Portfolio Delivery, NHSBSA (Items 25/33 to 25/35 only)
Libby Pink, Chief Portfolio Officer, NHSBSA (via video conference) (Items 25/33 to 25/35 only)
Chris Price, Future NHS Workforce Solution Transformation Programme Director, NHSBSA (via video conference) (Item 25/33 only)
David Roberts, SRO - Pensions Transformation and Change, NHSBSA (Item 25/35 only)
Danielle Sharples, Head of OD&D, NHSBSA (Shadow Board Representative) (Items 25/21 to 25/43 only)
Naomi Simon, Boardroom Apprentice (Observer)
Victoria Usher, Inclusion, Accessibility and Social Impact Lead, NHSBSA (Item 25/32 only)
Ashleigh Williams, Major Project Manager, NHSBSA (Item 25/35 only)
25/21 Apologies for Absence and Declarations of Interest
Apologies were received from Allison Newell. There were no declarations of interest declared in relation to the Board meeting agenda.
25/22 Minutes of the Meeting held on 6 February 2025
The minutes of the previous meeting were AGREED as an accurate record.
25/23 Matters Arising and Outstanding Actions from Previous Meetings
The Board discussed outstanding actions.
All other actions were complete, to be covered as part of the meeting agenda or not yet due. The Board NOTED completed actions.
25/24 Chair's Opening Remarks
S Douthwaite thanked M Tomlin for chairing the February 2025 meeting in the room, as she was not able to travel and therefore had to attend via video conference.
S Douthwaite welcomed E Anastasi to the meeting as an observer and congratulated her as winner of the Chief Executive's Award at the NHSBSA WeCare Awards. S Douthwaite welcomed N Emery and D Sharples to the meeting as Shadow Board representatives.
S Douthwaite reflected on personal and organisational resilience and its importance for colleagues across the business and the wider health system during times of change. S Douthwaite highlighted the Government's announcement that NHS England (NHSE) would be abolished and recognised that this would be a challenging time for some colleagues in the wider system, and that the business would need to be supportive and sensitive during this time. The NHSBSA would need to assess any impacts on the services it delivered, ensuring any appropriate mitigation measures were in place. The Board and senior teams would be continuing to engage with key sponsors and stakeholders to ensure working relationships were maintained and new relationships developed.
The Board NOTED the update.
25/25 Confirmed minutes from the Audit and Risk Management Committee meeting held on 7 November 2024
The Board NOTED the minutes.
25/26 Update from the Audit and Risk Management Committee meeting held on 6 March 2025 - Alert, Advise, Assurance (AAA) Report
K Gillatt gave an update on the work of the Audit and Risk Management Committee - this was summarised in an Alert, Advise, Assurance Report issued to the Board.
The Board NOTED the update - and the alerts, advice and assurance provided.
25/27 Chief Executive's Report
M Brodie highlighted key points from his report, including in relation to:
- The NHSBSA Contact Centre achieving its first CCA Learning and Development Accreditation and maintaining a year-six CCA Global Standard Customer Experience Accreditation.
- The business being shortlisted as finalists in three categories of the British Data Awards. The Board wished to congratulate colleagues.
- The Government announcement that NHSE would be abolished, and functions merged with DHSC, personnel changes in the organisations and associated impact assessments and engagement work being undertaken by NHSBSA Leadership Team to ensure management of any potential risks or issues for the business.
The Board NOTED the report.
(Michael Costello, Lee Emery and Ashleigh Peel-Lowes joined the meeting)
25/28 NHSBSA Business Plan 2025/26
A Peel-Lowes provided the Board with an overview of the draft Business Plan 2025/26, highlighting that the document outlined how the NHSBSA planned to deliver on Year 2 of the Corporate Strategy. The Board wished to thank all colleagues involved in the production of the NHSBSA Business Plan 2025/26.
The Board APPROVED the Business Plan 2025/26.
25/29 NHSBSA Budget 2025/26
A McKinlay introduced the item. M Costello provided an overview of the NHSBSA Budget 2025/26. The Board wished to thank colleagues involved in the production of the NHSBSA Budget 2025/26.
Following discussion, the Board APPROVED the proposed revenue and capital budgets for 2025/26 (subject to confirmation of funding), NOTED the position on other funding streams, and NOTED the financial risks associated with the budget 2025/26.
(Michael Costello and Lee Emery left the meeting)
25/30 Business Performance - Strategic Business Performance Report
A Peel-Lowes introduced the Report and provided a summary of NHSBSA performance against its strategic goals and an overview of the plans in place to address any slippage.
The Board NOTED the report.
25/31 Business Performance - Operational Performance Temperature Check
The Board reviewed the Operational Performance Temperature Check Report. B Brown provided an overview highlighting key points.
The Board NOTED the update.
(Ashleigh Peel-Lowes left the meeting)
(Jane Miller and Victoria Usher joined the meeting)
25/32 Gender Pay Gap Report 2024
J Miller provided an overview of the report. J Miller highlighted that gender pay gap reporting was mandatory for all organisations with over 250 employees. The analysis was based on the government methodology for calculating difference in the average hourly pay between men and women in an organisation. V Usher provided an overview of key points.
The Board APPROVED the publication of the NHSBSA Gender Pay Gap Report 2024 on the NHSBSA website and through the Government's gender pay gap reporting service.
(Jane Miller and Victoria Usher left the meeting)
(Hasan Mubarak, Libby Pink, Neil Pragnell and Chris Price joined the meeting)
25/33 Future NHS Workforce Solution Transformation Programme Status Update
C Price provided an overview of the paper.
The Board NOTED the update.
(Chris Price left the meeting)
25/34 Change Portfolio Update
L Pink provided an overview of the Change Portfolio paper.
The Board NOTED the update.
(Simon Bourke, Alison O'Brien, David Roberts and Ashleigh Wiliams joined the meeting)
25/33 Pensions Transformation Project Overview
D Roberts introduced the item. D Roberts and S Bourke provided an overview of the paper.
The Board supported the approach, and recognised its critical importance for the business, and looked forward to seeing the outcomes of the discovery work.
The Board NOTED the report.
(Simon Bourke, Alison O'Brien, Hasan Mubarak, Libby Pink, Neil Pragnell, David Roberts and Ashleigh Williams left the meeting)
(Michael Costello and Sean Murphy joined the meeting)
25/36 Finance and Commercial Report
M Costello provided an overview of the Finance Report. S Murphy provided an update on the Commercial section of the paper.
The Board NOTED the report.
25/37 Managed Network Service Contract
S Murphy presented the Managed Network Services Contract paper. Following discussion, the Board APPROVED the proposal for the NHSBSA to enter into a call off contract for the provision of Managed Network Services with Virgin Media Business Limited under the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) - Network Services 3 Framework following the completion of the procurement exercise, and granted delegated authority to the Chief Executive to execute the contract.
The value of the call off contract was estimated to be £9.26m (ex VAT), and the proposed start date was 25 September 2025 for an initial 5-year period with 2 possible extensions of 1 year each.
25/38 NHS Prescriptions, Cards and Print Contract Change
S Murphy presented the NHS Prescriptions, Cards and Print Contract Change paper. Following discussion, the Board APPROVED the Change of the Xerox UK Ltd contract for the remainder of the maximum potential 6-year term commencing 31 March 2025 with a value up to £145.4m and granted authority to the NHSBSA Chief Executive Officer to execute the Change Authorisation Note within time to meet the go-live date.
(Michael Costello and Sean Murphy left the meeting)
25/39 Board and Chair Effectiveness Review 2024/25
S Douthwaite thanked members and attendees for completing the two surveys and for their feedback.
The Board discussed the results of the Board Effectiveness Review and the Chair Effectiveness Review, highlighting key points. Overall, the NHSBSA Board was considered very effective, with a mean effectiveness score of 8.8 out of 10, which was consistent with previous years. The Chair was considered highly effective with a mean score of 8.8 out of 10, which was similar to 2023/24 when the mean score was 8.5.
In recognition of the importance of giving the Board time and space to discuss the results and agreed actions, S Douthwaite suggested that a separate facilitated session was arranged. The Board supported this proposal.
The Board accepted the results of the review and thanked the Customer Insight Team for facilitating the surveys. The Board NOTED the reports.
25/40 Any Other Business
The Board NOTED the AOB items highlighted.
25/41 Communications from the Meeting
The Board wished to thank colleagues involved in the NHSBSA Business Plan and Budget 2025/26. The Board wished to thank the Customer Insight Team for facilitating the Board, Chair and Committee surveys.
25/42 Forward Agenda and Training Plan
The Board NOTED the forward agenda and training plan.
25/43 Date and Venue of the Next Meeting
The next Board meeting was planned for 15 May 2025.
(Elisa Anastasi, Brendan Brown, Darren Curry, Neil Emery, Andy McKinlay, Danielle Sharples and Nigel Zaman left the meeting)
25/44 Confirmed minutes from the Remuneration and Nominations Committee meetings held on 28 November 2024
The Board NOTED the minutes.
25/45 Update from the Remuneration and Nominations Committee Meeting held on 13 March 2025 - Alert, Advise, Assurance (AAA) Report
M Tomlin gave an update on the work of the Remuneration and Nominations Committee - this was summarised in an Alert, Advise, Assurance Report issued to the Board. The Board NOTED the update - and the alerts, advice and assurance provided.