Meeting held at 8:30am at Stella House, Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Present:
Sue Douthwaite, Chair
Michael Brodie, Chief Executive
Kathy Gillatt, Non-Executive Director
David Leather, Non-Executive Director
Mel Tomlin, Non-Executive Director (via video conference)
Randeep Sidhu, Non-Executive Director
Brendan Brown, Chief Operating 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
Jo Hindmarsh, Programme Manager, DHSC (items 26/27 to 26/48 only)
Nigel Zaman, Senior Programme Manager, DHSC (items 26/27 to 26/48 only)
David Jukes, Head of Governance and Corporate Secretary (Secretary to the Board), NHSBSA
Dan Britton, Operations Director, NHSBSA (item 26/44 only)
Ev Brunton, Operations Director, NHSBSA (item 26/35 only)
Chris Calise, Service Transition Lead, NHSBSA (Shadow Board Representative) (items 26/27 to 26/48 only)
Paul Cooper, NHS Pensions Director, NHSBSA (item 26/37 only)
Michael Costello, Finance Director, NHSBSA (items 26/39, 26/42 and 26/43 only)
Lee Emery, Senior Finance Business Partner, NHSBSA (items 26/42 and 26/43 only)
Claire Forrester, Interim Head of Pensions Stakeholder Engagement and Communications, NHSBSA (item 26/37 only)
Jonathan Marron, Chief Transition Officer, NHSBSA (items 26/27 to 26/48 only)
Sean Murphy, Director of Commercial Services, NHSBSA (items 26/37 to 26/39 only)
Jeff Pasternack, SRO - Future NHS Workforce Solution Transformation Programme, NHSBSA (item 26/36 only)
Ashleigh Peel-Lowes, Head of Strategy, Performance and Planning, NHSBSA (items 26/42 and 26/43 only)
Jacqui Pendleton, Audit Manager, GIAA (observer)
Libby Pink, Chief Portfolio Officer, NHSBSA (items 26/27 to 26/48 only)
Neil Pragnell, Head of Portfolio Delivery, NHSBSA (Shadow Board Representative) (items 26/27 to 26/48 only)
Chris Price, Future NHS Workforce Solution Transformation Programme Director, NHSBSA (via video conference) (item 26/36 only)
Jamie Scott, Performance and Improvements Manager, NHSBSA (item 26/44 only)
Vince Strafford, Project Director, NHSBSA (via video conference) (item 26/37 only)
Miranda Sykes, Head of Communications and Marketing, NHSBSA (item 26/40 only)
Chris Thompson, Director of Digital Delivery Centre, NHSBSA (items 26/27 to 26/48 only)
Steven Waters, Head of Financial Transformation, NHSBSA (items 26/42 and 26/43 only)
Kevin Watkins, Head of Internal Audit, GIAA (observer) (via video conference)
26/27 Apologies for Absence and Declarations of Interest
Apologies were received from Darren Curry, Mathew McKie and Allison Newell. There were no declarations of interest declared in relation to the Board meeting agenda.
R Sidhu informed the Board that he had been appointed as Chief Product Officer at SPRYT, commencing on 6 January 2026.
K Gillatt informed the Board that she had been appointed as an independent member of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee at CAFCASS, commencing on 1 April 2026. Also, that a second three-year tenure as Non-Executive Director and Audit and Risk Committee Chair at Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust had been confirmed commencing on 1 April 2026.
D Leather informed the Board that he had been appointed as Director - Customer Experience & Delivery at EE commencing on 1 April 2026.
C Knight informed the Board that his role as Chief Risk Officer at Legal & General Group would end on 8 July 2026, and he had been appointed as Director of Insurance at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), commencing on 13 July 2026.
The Board members confirmed that any required updates would be added to the Register of Interests in ESR.
26/28 Minutes of the Board Meeting held on 5 February 2026
The minutes of the previous meeting were AGREED and APPROVED as an accurate record, subject to one agreed amendment.
26/29 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.
26/30 Chair's Opening Remarks
S Douthwaite welcomed J Pendleton and K Watkins to the meeting as observers as part of the 2025/26 Board Effectiveness Review. S Douthwaite welcomed C Calise and N Pragnell to the meeting as Shadow Board representatives, and C Thompson who was deputising for D Curry.
S Douthwaite noted that this was N Zaman’s final NHSBSA Board meeting ahead of his retirement. On behalf of the Board, S Douthwaite thanked N Zaman for his support, constructive challenge, and guidance during his time with the DHSC–NHSBSA Sponsorship Team. N Zaman thanked the Board for their support during his time in the role and extended his best wishes to the Board for the future.
The Board NOTED the update.
26/31 Confirmed minutes from the Audit and Risk Management Committee (ARC) meetings held on 13 November 2025 and 5 February 2026
The Board NOTED the minutes.
26/32 Updates from the Audit and Risk Management Committee meetings held on 5 February 2026 and 3 March 2026 - Alert, Advise, Assure (AAA) Report
K Gillatt gave an update on the work of the ARC. The Board NOTED the update.
26/33 Updates from the Audit and Risk Management Committee (NHS Pensions) meetings held on 5 February 2026 and 3 March 2026 - Alert, Advise, Assure (AAA) Report
K Gillatt gave an update on the work of the ARC (Pensions). The Board NOTED the update.
26/34 Chief Executive's Business Update Report
M Brodie echoed S Douthwaite’s thanks to N Zaman on behalf of all NHSBSA colleagues and conveyed best wishes to him on his retirement.
M Brodie introduced the item, highlighting key points including in relation to:
- DHSC‑commissioned assurance review.
- DSHC ALB CEO and Chairs meeting.
- Quarterly Accountability Review with DHSC.
- Implementation of payment uplift for Healthy Start from 6 April 2026.
- Colleague performance management approach development.
- Disability Confident Leader Status reaccreditation.
- International Women’s Day events.
- Contact Centre retaining its CCA Global Accreditation for Customer Experience.
- Success at the 2026 North East and North Cumbria (NENC) DDaT Awards.
- 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.
The Board NOTED the report.
(E Brunton joined the meeting)
26/35 Transforming Dental Systems (TDS) - Full Business Case (FBC)
The Board APPROVED the revised TDS FBC.
(E Brunton left the meeting)
(J Pasternack and C Price joined the meeting)
26/36 Future NHS Workforce Solution (FWS) Programme - Spotlight
J Pasternack and C Price provided the Board with an update on the programme.
The Board NOTED the update.
(J Pasternack and C Price left the meeting)
(Paul Cooper, Claire Forrester, Sean Murphy and Vince Strafford joined the meeting)
26/37 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.
(Paul Cooper, Claire Forrester and Vince Strafford left the meeting)
26/38 McCloud Remediable Service Statement (RSS) Administration Contract
Following discussion, the Board APPROVED the proposal for NHSBSA to enter into a contract for the provision of McCloud RSS Administration with EQ Paymaster/Hazel Carr following the completion of the procurement exercise; with the value of the call off contract being estimated at £6.5M (ex VAT); and with a proposed start date of 1 April 2026, for a 15 month period. The Board granted delegated authority to the Chief Executive to execute the Contract Change Note (CCN).
(Paul Cooper, Claire Forrester and Vince Strafford left the meeting)
(Michael Costello joined the meeting)
26/39 Finance and Commercial Report
A McKinlay introduced the item. M Costello provided an overview of the financial position. S Murphy provided an overview of the commercial position.
The Board NOTED the report.
(Michael Costello and Sean Murphy left the meeting)
(Miranda Sykes joined the meeting)
26/40 Employee Engagement Survey
M Dibble introduced the item. M Sykes provided an overview of the report.
The Board NOTED the report.
(Miranda Sykes left the meeting)
26/41 Workforce Transformation and Efficiency Plan Update
M Brodie introduced the item and J Marron highlighted key points from the paper.
The Board NOTED the Update.
(Michael Costello, Lee Emery, Ashleigh Peel-Lowes and Steven Waters joined the meeting)
26/42 NHSBSA Business Plan 2026/27 Update
J Marron presented an overview of the draft NHSBSA Business Plan for 2026/27.
The Board NOTED the Update.
26/43 NHSBSA Annual Budget 2026/27 (Interim)
The Board APPROVED the proposed Interim Revenue and Capital Budgets for 2026/27; NOTED the funding requested from DHSC and other funders for 2026/27; and NOTED the financial risks associated with the 2026/27 Budget.
(Michael Costello, Lee Emery, Ashleigh Peel-Lowes and Steven Waters left the meeting)
(Dan Britton and Jamie Scott joined the meeting)
26/44 Platform Implementation and Transformation of the Customer Contact Service (PITCCS) - Spotlight
B Brown introduced the item. D Britton and J Scott provided an overview of the paper.
The Board NOTED the Report.
(Dan Britton and Jamie Scott left the meeting)
26/45 Forward Agenda and Training Plan
The Board NOTED the Forward Agenda and Training Plan.
26/46 Any Other Business
M Brodie highlighted the planned events to mark NHSBSA’s 20th anniversary. He noted that a summary of the events would be shared with colleagues via My Hub and included in his next Board report.
26/47 Communications from the Meeting
The Board wished to express their appreciation for colleagues’ continued commitment, resilience and sustained focus on delivering services.
The Board thanked all colleagues involved in Disability Confident Leader Status reaccreditation; International Women’s Day events; Contact Centre retaining its CCA Global Accreditation for Customer Experience; and congratulated all winners, those highly commended and shortlisted at the 2026 North East and North Cumbria (NENC) DDaT Awards.
26/48 Date and Venue of the Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Board was scheduled to take place on 14 May 2026 at Bickerstaffe House, Blackpool.
(Chris Calise, Jo Hindmarsh, Jonathan Marron, Libby Pink, Neil Pragnell and Nigel Zaman left the meeting)
26/49 Succession Planning and Contingency Planning
M Dibble presented an updated Succession Plan and Contingency Plan for leadership roles.
The Board NOTED the Succession Planning and Contingency Planning paper.
26/50 Confirmed minutes from the Remuneration and Nominations Committee meeting held on 27 November 2025
The Board NOTED the minutes.
26/51 Update from the Remuneration and Nominations Committee Meeting held on 9 March 2026 - Alert, Advise, Assure (AAA) Report
M Tomlin gave an update on the work of the Remuneration and Nominations Committee. The Board NOTED the update.