Meeting held at 9:00am 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
Mel Tomlin, Non-Executive Director (via video conference)
Brendan Brown, Chief Operating Officer
Darren Curry, Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer
Mark Dibble, Chief People Officer
Andy McKinlay, Chief Finance Officer
In attendance:
Karen Finlayson, Associate Non-Executive Director
Chris Knight, Associate Non-Executive Director
Gerry Murphy, Observer, DHSC Review Team
Dan Neilon, Observer, DHSC Review Team
Nigel Zaman, Senior Programme Manager, DHSC
David Jukes, Head of Governance and Corporate Secretary (Secretary to the Board), NHSBSA
Charlotte Batey, Customer Insight and Research Manager, NHSBSA (item 26/22 only)
Paige Booth-Doutel, Interim Head of Business Innovation and Customer Experience, NHSBSA (item 26/22 only)
Paul Cooper, NHS Pensions Director, NHSBSA (via video conference) (item 26/17 only)
Michael Costello, Finance Director, NHSBSA (item 26/18 only)
Claire Forrester, Interim Head of Pensions Stakeholder Engagement and Communications, NHSBSA (item 26/17 only)
Martin Kelsall, Managing Director of Operations, NHSBSA (item 26/17 only)
Ellen Lynch, DDaT Strategy Lead, NHSBSA (Shadow Board representative)
Jonathan Marron, Chief Transition Officer, NHSBSA
Jeff Pasternack, SRO - Future NHS Workforce Solution Transformation Programme, NHSBSA (item 26/16 only)
Ashleigh Peel-Lowes, Head of Strategy, Performance and Planning, NHSBSA (item 26/22 only)
Libby Pink, Chief Portfolio Officer, NHSBSA
Neil Pragnell, Head of Portfolio Delivery, NHSBSA (Shadow Board representative)
Chris Price, Future NHS Workforce Solution Transformation Programme Director, NHSBSA (item 26/16 only)
Vince Strafford, Project Director, NHSBSA (via video conference) (item 26/17 only)
26/11 Apologies for absence and declarations of interest
Apologies were received from Allison Newell and Randeep Sidhu. There were no declarations of interest declared in relation to the Board meeting agenda.
26/12 Minutes of the Board meetings held on 11 December 2025 and 15 January 2026
The minutes of the previous meetings were AGREED as an accurate record.
26/13 Matters arising and outstanding actions from previous meetings
The Board discussed the actions. All actions were either complete, addressed as part of the meeting agenda or not yet due. The Board NOTED completed actions.
26/14 Chair's opening remarks
S Douthwaite welcomed G Murphy and D Neilon to the Board meeting as observers as part of the Assurance Review of the NHSBSA. G Murphy and D Neilon thanked S Douthwaite for the invitation and welcomed the opportunity to observe the Board in action.
S Douthwaite welcomed E Lynch and N Pragnell to the meeting as Shadow Board representatives.
S Douthwaite welcomed K Finlayson to her first meeting as an Associate Non-Executive Director highlighting the increased audit, accountancy and enterprise risk management skills, knowledge and experience her appointment would bring to the Board. K Finlayson thanked S Douthwaite and the team for their warm welcome and support during her induction period. K Finlayson looked forward to working as part of the team.
The Board NOTED the update.
26/15 Chief Executive's Business Update report
M Brodie introduced the item, highlighting key points including in relation to:
Business performance including operational service KPI delivery; progress on delivering against NHSBSA Strategic Goals; change portfolio delivery and benefits; DDaT/ People KPIs and the Corporate Risk Register.
DHSC/ NHSBSA Accountability Review meeting.
Visit of Karin Smyth, Minister of State for Health (Secondary Care), to Stella House as part of a scheduled ministerial visit to the North East England region on 29 January 2026.
England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS).
Service commissioning approach.
Colleague performance management and development approach.
Colleague Engagement Survey 2025.
The Board NOTED the report.
(J Pasternack and C Price joined the meeting)
26/16 Future NHS Workforce Solution programme - spotlight
J Pasternack introduced the item. C Price provided the Board with an update on the programme.
The Board NOTED the update.
(J Pasternack and C Price left the meeting)
(P Cooper, C Forrester, M Kelsall and V Strafford joined the meeting)
26/17 NHS Pensions service - key priorities update
B Brown introduced the item. B Brown and the team provided an update on the key priorities and challenges within the NHS Pensions Service.
The Board NOTED the update.
(P Cooper, C Forrester, M Kelsall and V Strafford left the meeting)
(M Costello joined the meeting)
26/18 Finance report
A McKinlay introduced the item. M Costello provided an overview of the financial position.
The Board NOTED the report.
(M Costello left the meeting)
26/19 Board review of effectiveness 2025/26 - Terms of Reference
S Douthwaite reminded members that the Board considered its effectiveness on an annual basis, with an independent review every three years, and an internal review in the other two years. The 2025/26 review would be an independent review conducted by GIAA. The Terms of Reference had been agreed and were provided to the Board for information.
The Board NOTED the Terms of Reference.
26/20 Workforce efficiency and transformation plan update
M Brodie introduced the item and J Marron highlighted key points from the paper.
The Board NOTED the update.
26/21 DDaT - spotlight
D Curry presented the paper highlighting key points.
The Board NOTED the update.
(C Batey, A Peel-Lowes and P Booth-Doutel joined the meeting)
26/22 Customer Experience (CX) - spotlight
J Marron introduced the item and the team. The team provided an overview of the paper.
The Board NOTED the update.
(C Batey, A Peel-Lowes and P Booth-Doutel left the meeting)
26/23 Forward agenda and training plan
The Board NOTED the Forward Agenda and Training Plan. The Board AGREED to hold the July 2026 Audit and Risk Management Committee and Board meetings on 30 June 2026. This was required to ensure the timely review and approval of the NHSBSA Annual Report and Accounts 2025/26 and NHS Pension Scheme Annual Report and Accounts 2025/26, prior to summer parliamentary recess.
26/24 Any other business
M Brodie reported that Hassan Kajee, Transition Director, had been named on Asian Standard’s ‘Most Influential List – North East 2025’ in recognition of his contribution to the NHSBSA and his wider impact. The Board asked that its congratulations be formally conveyed to Hassan on this achievement.
E Lynch informed the Board that her tenure on the Shadow Board would conclude in March 2026 and that this would therefore be her final attendance at a Main Board meeting in that capacity. She expressed her thanks to Board members for the opportunities, support and encouragement provided. S Douthwaite, on behalf of the Board, thanked Ellen for her valuable insight and contribution during her time as a Shadow Board member.
26/25 Communications from the meeting
The Board wished to express their appreciation for colleagues’ continued commitment, resilience and sustained focus on delivering services.
The Board wished to congratulate Hassan Kajee, Transition Director, for being named on Asian Standard’s ‘Most Influential List – North East 2025’.
26/26 Date and venue of next meeting
The next Board meeting was planned for 19 March 2026.