Meeting held at 9:00am in 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
Mel Tomlin, Non-Executive Director
Brendan Brown, Chief Operating Officer
Darren Curry, Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer
Mark Dibble, Chief People Officer
Andy McKinlay, Chief Finance Officer
Allison Newell, Chief Strategy Officer
In attendance:
Chris Knight, Associate Non-Executive Director (items 25/106 to 25/124 only)
Jo Hindmarsh, Programme Manager - NHSBSA Sponsorship Team, DHSC (items 25/106 to 25/124 only)
Nigel Zaman, Senior Programme Manager, DHSC (items 25/106 to 25/124 only)
David Jukes, Head of Governance and Corporate Secretary (Secretary to the Board), NHSBSA
Anna Caine, Head of DDaT Governance, NHSBSA (Shadow Board Representative) (items 25/106 to 25/124 only)
Paul Cooper, NHS Pensions Director, NHSBSA (item 25/111 only)
Michael Costello, Finance Director, NHSBSA (items 25/112 to 25/118 only)
Talhatou Diallo, Senior Finance Transformation Manager, NHSBSA (item 25/118 only)
John Douglas, NHS Pension Scheme Finance Manager, NHSBSA (item 25/112 only) (via video conference)
Neil Emery, Business Manager, NHSBSA (Shadow Board Representative) (items 25/106 to 25/124 only)
Melanie Hope, Wellbeing and Social Impact Lead, NHSBSA (items 25/119 and 25/120 only)
Paul Jackson, Head of Productivity, Efficiency and Business Improvement, NHSBSA (item 25/118 only)
Lesley-Anne Knowles, People Safety and Safeguarding Lead, NHSBSA (items 25/119 and 25/120 only)
Mark Lavender, Project Director, Grant Thornton (item 25/111 only) (via video conference)
Jonathan Marron, Chief Transition Officer, NHSBSA (items 25/106 to 25/124 only)
Alyx Maving, Governance and Assurance Manager, NHSBSA (items 25/112 to 25/117 only)
Alison Metcalfe, Medical Director, NHSBSA (items 25/112 to 25/117 only)
Jane Miller, Head of Colleague Experience and Social Impact, NHSBSA (items 25/119 and 25/120 only)
Barry Moran, Head of Operational Services, NHSBSA (item 25/111 only)
Sean Murphy, Commercial Director, NHSBSA (items 25/112 to 25/117 only)
Alison O'Brien, Operations Director, NHSBSA (item 25/111 only)
Jayne Ogle, Environment and Sustainability Lead, NHSBSA (items 25/119 and 25/120 only)
Libby Pink, Chief Portfolio Officer, NHSBSA (items 25/110, 25/111 and 25/125 only) (via video conference)
Chris Price, Future NHS Workforce Solution Transformation Programme Director, NHSBSA (item 25/125 only)
Naomi Simon, Boardroom Apprentice (Observer) (items 25/106 to 25/124 only)
Steven Waters, Head of Financial Transformation, NHSBSA (item 25/118 only)
Paul Whillis, Head of DDaT Delivery and Consultancy, NHSBSA (item 25/111 only)
Katie Wilkie, People Director, NHSBSA (item 25/118 only)
25/105 Associate Non-Executive Nomination
The Board members had APPROVED the creation of an interim Associate Non-Executive Director position and APPROVED THE APPOINTMENT of Chris Knight as Associate Non-Executive Director from 1 September 2025 for a period of 12 months. The Board RATIFIED the APPROVAL.
(Anna Caine, Neil Emery, Jo Hindmarsh, Chris Kinight, Jonathan Marron, Naomi Simon and Nigel Zaman joined the meeting)
25/106 Apologies for Absence and Declarations of Interest
There were no apologies received. There were no declarations of interest declared in relation to the Board meeting agenda.
25/107 Minutes of the Board meeting held on 10 July 2025 and the NHSBSA Annual Public Meeting held on 4 August 2025
The minutes of the previous meetings were AGREED as an accurate record.
25/108 Matters Arising and Outstanding Actions from Previous Meetings
The Board discussed the actions. All actions were complete or not yet due.
The Board NOTED completed actions.
25/109 Chair's Opening Remarks
S Douthwaite welcomed C Knight to his first Board meeting as an Associate Non-Executive Director. C Knight thanked colleagues for their warm welcome and he looked forward to working with the Board.
S Douthwaite welcomed A Caine and N Emery to the meeting as Shadow Board representatives and welcomed J Marron to his first Board meeting as NHSBSA Chief Transition Officer.
S Douthwaite summarised the key points raised at the Enterprise Risk Management Board and Leadership Team session held on 17 September 2025. The Board and Shadow Board members reflected on the session and the insights provided.
Sue Douthwaite reflected on the ongoing reshaping of the centre, linked to the abolition of NHS England (NHSE) and changes in DHSC. The Board agreed that relationship management and purposeful communication and engagement with key stakeholders and service users was important and should continue to be an area of focus for the business.
The Board NOTED the update.
(Libby Pink joined the meeting)
25/110 Chief Executive's Business Update Report
M Brodie introduced the item stating that the two offline update reports from July and August 2025 had been included in the Board pack for information and highlighted key points.
M Brodie, supported by the Executive Team, highlighted key points from the report, 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.
NHS Pensions Service update, including performance, challenges and mitigation actions. A specific item – NHS Pensions Service – Key Priorities Update – had been added to the Board agenda.
Ministerial changes made by the Prime Minister.
Key appointments across the NHS, including non-executive director appointments to the NHS England Board.
Ongoing engagement with DHSC/ NHS England.
Agenda of the next ALB senior leaders meeting attended by Chairs and Chief Executives planned for 23 September 2025.
Engagement with the Welsh Government on service delivery.
Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme service update.
The Board NOTED the report.
(Paul Cooper, Mark Lavendar, Barry Moran, Alison O’Brien and Paul Whillis joined the meeting)
25/111 NHS Pensions Service - Key Priorities Update
B Brown introduced the team and provided an overview of the report, covering key priorities and challenges within the NHS Pensions Service.
The Board thanked the team for the update and supported the approach being taken. The Board NOTED the update.
(Paul Cooper, Mark Lavender, Barry Moran, Alison O’Brien, Libby Pink and Paul Whillis left the meeting)
(Michael Costello, John Douglas, Alyx Maving, Alison Metcalfe and Sean Murphy joined the meeting)
25/112 NHS Pension Scheme - Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) Autumn 2025 Cash Flow Return
J Douglas provided an overview of the Board paper, providing the Board with an update on the Pension Scheme's Autumn medium term cash flow forecast, required by the Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) and HM Treasury (HMT).
The Board NOTED the return.
(John Douglas left the meeting)
25/113 Finance and Commercial Report
A McKinlay introduced the paper. A McKinlay, M Costello and S Murphy provided an overview of the Finance and Commercial report.
The Board NOTED the report.
25/114 DDaT Capability and Outcomes Contract
A McKinlay introduced the item. S Murphy provided an overview of the paper.
Following discussion, the Board APPROVED the Award of a three-year contract (and optional 9-month extension) to Kainos for the provision of digital, data and technology capability, to support the delivery of digital outcomes for existing and new services delivered by the NHSBSA. The initial value of the contract would be £35,000,000 over the initial 3-year term (exc. VAT). Should the 9-month extension period be executed the increase in value would be £8.75 million. The Board granted delegated authority to the Chief Executive Officer to execute the contract.
25/115 Workforce Solution Management Contract
A McKinlay introduced the item. S Murphy provided an overview of the paper.
Following discussion, the Board APPROVED the proposal for the NHSBSA to enter into a call off contract, with an estimated value of £3,664,000 (ex VAT), and a proposed start date of 1 July 2026 for a 3-year period, plus one optional extension of a further 12 months, for the provision of a Workforce Management Solution via the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) – G-Cloud 14 Framework RM1557 Lot 2 Cloud Software following the completion of the procurement exercise. The Board granted delegated authority to the Chief Executive Officer to execute the contract.
25/116 Corporate Governance Framework
M Dibble introduced the review of the NHSBSA Corporate Governance Framework.
The Board confirmed that they had read and would abide by the principles set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies, and the 12 Principles of Governance for all Public Body NEDs.
The Board APPROVED the Corporate Governance Framework, which included Board Terms of Reference and Matters Reserved to the Board (incorporating Standing Orders), Audit and Risk Management Committee Terms of Reference, Remuneration and Nominations Committee Terms of Reference, Shadow Board Terms of Reference, SFIs and Scheme of Delegation, and Conflicts of Interest Policy.
25/117 Designated Body Annual Report
A Metcalfe introduced the item providing the Board members with an overview of the report. A Metcalfe provided assurance to the Board on the engagement with the Responsible Officer (RO) and that the report had been reviewed by the Clinical Governance Oversight Committee.
The Designated Body Annual Report and statement of compliance were reviewed and NOTED by the Board and APPROVED for issue to NHS England.
The Board APPROVED the following associated policies: Designated Body and Clinical Governance Policy; Medical Revalidation and Appraisal Policy; and Responding to Concerns About a Doctor's Practice.
(Alyx Maving, Alison Metcalfe and Sean Murphy left the meeting)
(Talhatou Diallo, Paul Jackson, Steven Waters and Katie Wilkie joined the meeting)
25/118 Value and Efficiency - Spotlight
A McKinlay introduced the team and provided an overview of the Report.
Following discussion, the Board NOTED and ENDORSED progress against the Value & Efficiency strategic goals and approach to embedding productivity into the NHSBSA Operating Model and Business Planning/Service Plans including through focus on key metrics; and NOTED and ENDORSED the approach to managing headcount.
(Michael Costello, Talhatou Diallo, Paul Jackson, Steven Waters and Katie Wilkie left the meeting)
(Melanie Hope, Lesley-Anne Knowles, Jane Miller and Jayne Ogle joined the meeting)
25/119 Environment and Sustainability Annual Report and Strategy
M Dibble introduced the team and provided an overview of the purpose of the papers. J Ogle provided an overview of the papers.
The Board NOTED and ENDORSED the Environment and Sustainability Annual Report 2024-25, and the Environment and Sustainability Strategy 2025-30.
25/120 Safety, Safeguarding and Wellbeing Annual Report and Strategy
M Dibble introduced the team and provided an overview of the purpose of the papers. M Hope, J Miller and L-A Knowles provided an overview of the papers.
The Board NOTED and ENDORSED the Safety, Safeguarding and Wellbeing Annual Report 2024-25, and the Safety, Safeguarding and Wellbeing Strategy 2025-29.
(Melanie Hope, Lesley-Anne Knowles, Jane Miller and Jayne Ogle left the meeting)
25/121 Any Other Business
The Board NOTED the items raised.
25/122 Communications from the Meeting
The Board wished to thank all colleagues for their support in delivering the environment and sustainability goals and their ongoing commitment to safety, safeguarding and wellbeing, for both colleagues and customers.
25/123 Forward Agenda and Training Plan
The Board NOTED the forward agenda and training plan.
25/124 Date and Venue of the Next Meeting
The next Board meeting was planned for 16 October 2025. A Board Strategy Day would be held on 15 October 2025.
(Anna Caine, Neil Emery, Jo Hindmarsh, Chris Knight, Jonathan Marron, Naomi Simon and Nigel Zaman left the meeting)
(Libby Pink and Chris Price joined the meeting)
25/125 Future NHS Workforce Solution Transformation Programme -Spotlight
C Price provided the Board with an update on the programme.
The Board NOTED the update.