Non-Executive Director - Culture & Transformation

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Darlington

  • Location Darlington
  • Sector Health, Board Practice
  • Client County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
  • Job Type Permanent
  • Remuneration £15,015 per annum. The total time commitment averages approximately 4 days per month, although initially a commitment of 5 to 6 days will be required.
  • Reference GSe128130
  • Closing Date 9am Wednesday 10th December 2025

County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust serves around 600,000 people living in County Durham and the surrounding areas. The Trust provides a comprehensive range of acute and community based services across two acute hospitals, community hospitals and numerous community bases.  

Recently we publicly reported failures in our Breast Surgery service resulting in physical and psychological harm to patients. An independent review, undertaken to identify missed opportunities and learn lessons, has exposed wider weaknesses in Board-level and floor-to-Board governance, in risk management and organisational culture. Consequently we are now working closely with NHS England and our health and care system, the North East and Cumbria ICB, to build the capacity and capability of our board, in order to address the challenges which the Trust faces.  Our senior leadership team is also undergoing some change with our new CEO, Steve Russell, having joined in September.   

With the extent of the task ahead now clearly defined, we are able to focus on tackling and rectifying the underlying challenges, so as to deliver care of the highest standards possible across our multiple hospital and community sites, as well as in patients’ homes.  We are one of the largest integrated care providers in England and we continue to play a pivotal role as a local partner and a system player, as well as being an anchor institution in our localities.   

To help restore effective Board governance and confidence in the Trust’s services we are now seeking four proven, capable, and motivated Non-Executive Directors to work with our highly experienced newly-appointed Chair, Alison Marshall.  We are looking for candidates who are clinically qualified, or financially qualified, or those with experience of cultural change and organisational transformation.  

The Trust is keen to ensure diversity both views and representation within the Board and will actively welcome applications from candidates from a wide range of backgrounds. 

For more details of these roles, visit www.gatenbysanderson.com/job/GSe128130 and for a confidential conversation with GatenbySanderson, please email will.mcalpine@gatenbysanderson.com regarding the finance and culture roles, and eleanor.lawrence@gatenbysanderson.com regarding the clinical role. Robin Staveley (via robin.staveley@gatenbysanderson.com) and Emily Smith (via Emily.smith@gatenbysanderson.com) are also available to discuss all roles.

Please note you must live within the North East, North Cumbria, Hambleton or Richmondshire to be eligible for these roles.   

Closing date for applications: 9am Wednesday 10th December 2025. 

Stakeholder session and interviews: either Thursday 18th December or Friday 19th December. 

 

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Documents

  1. Fit and Proper Person Declaration - New.docx

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