Charities have played an important role in supporting the NHS throughout its history, and today our 230+ members give over £1million to the NHS every day – so that people can stay well for longer, get better faster, and to support staff wellbeing. NHS Charities Together began as a membership organisation back in 2000 under the name Association of NHS Charities. Our purpose was to support members through training, advocacy, and networking – helping them to have more impact. In 2018, we changed our name to NHS Charities Together, and when Covid-19 hit in 2020, we launched the first ever national appeal for the NHS, raising over £162million to support staff as they faced the biggest crisis in the NHS’ history. Since then, we have continued to raise money and awareness for NHS charities at a national level, whilst still fulfilling our role as a membership organisation, ensuring that funds are sent to where they are needed most. Together, we can help the NHS go further by investing in new ways of working, innovations, projects, and interventions that help to deliver improvements and enhancements. NHS Charities Together is here to support NHS charities to reach their individual goals, to grow and learn together and deliver benefits for patients, communities, and the workforce.

THE ROLE

This is an incredibly exciting and pivotal time in which to join as our Chair. As a charity we have experienced phenomenal growth and unprecedented change like no other in the sector over the last four years. Our Covid-19 Urgent Appeal raised over £15million in the first five days and went on to raise £162million to support NHS patients, staff, and volunteers impacted by the coronavirus crisis. Right now, that funding is making a huge and lasting impact right across the UK. Our new Chair will continue to build on the excellent work already taking place, working in partnership with the Chief Executive, as we leverage our influence, profile and impact across the four devolved nations’ health and care systems. We know what a difference we make, and we are ambitious for the sustainable change we can achieve in the future.

Over the past 12 months our Trustees and Executive Team have worked together with members to create our revised vision and strategy. ‘Achieving our Potential Together’ sets out our two main ambitions: to maximise the impact of the collective NHS charity sector, and our distinct role as its membership body and national charity. As our new Chair, you will work with our Executive Team and Board in facilitating conversations both inside and outside the boardroom, and to think creatively about our future role as a convenor, facilitator, policy influencer and income generator.

You will be an accomplished and visionary Board leader who brings demonstrable experience of working successfully in partnership with a Chief Executive to influence external and internal stakeholders to achieve ambitious goals. Politically astute with exceptional communication skills and a strong existing network you can actively engage with our mission, you will be a skilful advocate and ambassador who is committed to achieving positive change across our health system. You will have supported organisations through times of growth and your proven ability to work in partnership with others to deliver a step change in income, impact and influence will be invaluable. 

If you are excited by the opportunity to make a real difference to all of those who work across the NHS, patients and their families and are looking for a Board role rich in complexity and opportunity, we would love to hear from you.