Non-Executive Directors, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust

Non-Executive Director, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust

United Kingdom

A letter from our Trust Chair

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your interest in joining the Board of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust (GOSH) as a Non-Executive Director.

At GOSH, we care for some of the most seriously ill children in the UK and beyond. We are a world-leading centre of excellence in paediatric healthcare, research, and education. We provide highly specialised care to children and young people with rare and complex conditions, supported by over 60 specialist services on a single site. With nearly 300,000 patient visits each year and a national reach, GOSH is the UK’s largest paediatric centre for intensive care and cardiac surgery.

This is an exciting time to be joining GOSH, despite the financial challenges facing the NHS. We will continue our commitment to innovation as reflected in our pioneering research partnerships, including the UK’s only paediatric Biomedical Research Centre and our leadership in genomics. We will be rolling out our plans to integrate AI into our clinical and corporate functions enabling us to enhance clinical decision making, streamline operations and support our research. Construction of our new Children’s Cancer Centre has begun with completion scheduled for 2028. This state of the art facility, funded by our Charity, will let us set a new standard in integrated cancer care for our patients. Through the GOSH Learning Academy, we will continue to deliver world-class training to healthcare professionals in the UK and abroad.

But just as important as the care we provide is the culture we create for our patients, their families, and our people. We know that when our staff feel supported, valued, and inspired, they can do their best work. That’s why we’re investing in our culture and people strategy, and why this role is so vital.

We’re looking for someone who brings extensive experience in shaping healthy, inclusive workplace cultures, someone who understands the complexity of large, evolving organisations and can help us think boldly about how we support and develop our people. You’ll bring insight, challenge, and compassion to our Board, helping us ensure that our people strategy is not just well-designed, but truly lived. You will play a key role on the People and Education Assurance Committee, and one other Board assurance committee, helping us deliver on our ambitions for safe, effective care and a thriving workforce.

We are especially keen to hear from candidates who bring diverse perspectives and lived experiences that reflect the communities we serve. We want our Board to be as inclusive and dynamic as the workforce and families we support.

I hope you will consider bringing your expertise and passion to GOSH. Together, we can continue to make a real difference to the lives of our children and their families. I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Ellen Schroder
Chair
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust

About the role

Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is one of the world’s leading children’s hospitals, delivering specialist and highly complex care to children and young people from across the UK and beyond. As a centre of clinical, academic and operational excellence, we are proud of our unique heritage and our vision to be the leading children’s hospital in the world. Our staff, patients and families are at the heart of everything we do.

We are now seeking to appoint an exceptional individual to our Board of Directors as Non-Executive Director. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the strategic direction, oversight and governance of an internationally recognised children’s hospital.

Non-Executive Director – People and Culture Background

We are seeking a Non-Executive Director with substantial experience in workforce transformation, organisational development or people strategy. You will bring insight into creating healthy, inclusive workplace cultures aligned to strategic goals and will help shape and scrutinise our people-focused frameworks. Experience may be drawn from public or commercial sectors. You will serve on the People and Education Assurance Committee, and one of the following:

• Quality, Safety and Experience Assurance Committee
• Audit Committee
• Finance and Performance Committee

What We’re Looking For

The successful candidate will be a strategic, inclusive and values-led leaders with experience of working at or near Board level. You will demonstrate sound judgement, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to analyse complex information, offer constructive challenge and support, and champion our mission and values.

Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to building a diverse Board that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and particularly encourage interest from individuals from underrepresented communities including those from the global majority, disabled people and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Time Commitment and Remuneration

This role require a commitment of approximately 2 to 3 days per month. Remuneration is in line with NHS Foundation Trust guidelines and will be discussed with shortlisted candidates.

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust (GOSH) is an international centre of excellence in child healthcare. GOSH is an acute specialist paediatric hospital with a mission to provide world-class care to children and young people with rare, complex, and difficult-to-treat conditions. Since its formation in 1852, the hospital has been dedicated to children’s healthcare and to finding new and better ways to treat childhood illnesses. GOSH receives nearly 300,000 patient visits (inpatient admissions or outpatient appointments) every year and there are over 60 different specialist and sub-specialist paediatric health services at GOSH providing the UK's widest range of specialist health services for children on one site. More than half of our patients come from outside London and GOSH is the largest paediatric centre in the UK for services including paediatric intensive care and cardiac surgery.
Leading research and development
GOSH is at the forefront of paediatric research and innovation, with a thriving Research and Innovation (R&I) programme that underpins its mission to transform the lives of seriously ill children. The UK’s only academic Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) specialising in paediatrics is a collaboration between GOSH and UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. We are a member of University College London (UCL) Partners, joining UCL with a number of other hospitals – an alliance for world-class research benefitting patients. In partnership with six other NHS trusts, we are the lead provider for North Thames Genomics Medicine Centre, part of the national 100,000 Genomes Project. Take a look at our Research and Innovation pages for more information.
Education and training for staff working in children’s healthcare
The GOSH Learning Academy (GLA) is a pivotal part of GOSH’s commitment to excellence in paediatric healthcare. Launched in 2019, the Academy delivers world-class education, training, and development to healthcare professionals across the UK and internationally. With a comprehensive portfolio spanning clinical simulation, academic education, digital learning, and advanced practice, the GLA plays a vital role in building capability and driving innovation across the workforce. Its recent partnership with Middlesex University further strengthens its position as a leading provider of postgraduate paediatric education. Find out more about our Education and training offering.
New Children’s Cancer Centre
The new Children’s Cancer Centre (CCC) at Great Ormond Street Hospital represents a transformative investment in the future of paediatric cancer care. Designed to replace the outdated Frontage Building, the CCC will become a national centre of excellence for children with rare and complex cancers. This state-of-the-art facility will integrate cancer day care, inpatient wards, critical care, theatres, imaging, and a new hospital school, all under one roof. It will also feature a roof garden, flexible clinical spaces, and a welcoming new main entrance for the hospital. For more information on our plans please visit: Children's Cancer Centre | Great Ormond Street Hospital
Our mission and values
Our mission is to put the ‘child first and always’. This describes why we exist and has been the same since our inception in 1852. In September 2020, the Trust launched Above and Beyond, it’s five-year strategy to advance care for children and young people with complex health needs. The six clear principles help to guide planning, decision making and day to day work, while doing the things that matter most to the GOSH community. Over the next year we are entering a pivotal phase as we prepare to launch a refreshed Trust Strategy. Building on the success of the current Above and Beyond strategy, the refresh is being shaped through extensive engagement with patients, families, staff, and stakeholders to ensure it reflects the evolving healthcare landscape and the needs of those we serve. For more information about our future strategy, please visit: https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/about-us/our-strategy/
The Trust has developed the Always Values with staff, patients and families that characterise all that we do and our behaviours with our patients and families and each other.
Our Always Values are that we are:
- Always Welcoming
- Always Helpful
- Always Expert
- Always One Team
These values are extremely important to us, and we expect everyone who works at GOSH in any capacity, including employees, bank staff, contractors, agency staff, people who hold honorary contracts, students and volunteers to share and uphold Our Always Values.
Read about the history of GOSH and learn more about who we are.
You can also visit the publications section to read our latest annual report, quality report, and last CQC inspection report.
Our Trust Board papers are also available here.
Click below to read job description:
Workforce and Organisational Development NED
All applications must include:
• A full curriculum vitae/resume
• Quoting the relevant role reference number: A040543
• A covering letter highlighting the aspects of the job description that particularly attract you to the post (Microsoft Word document)
• Contact details for three referees, these will not be contacted without your permission. (References should validate a minimum period of six years employment)
• A completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form (which you will be redirected to once you have submitted your application) *
Right to work checks
If you are successfully shortlisted, our partner, Yoti, will contact you to complete an online right to work check. This is a quick and secure process, ensuring that all necessary legal requirements are met before proceeding further in the recruitment process.
Monitoring
One of Alumni Global’s and gosh’s objectives is to ensure that its workforce is reflective of the local community and therefore we actively encourage applications from under-represented groups. So that we can successfully achieve these aims, while it is not mandatory we would encourage every applicant to complete the “Equal Opportunities Monitoring form” so that we can measure the effectiveness of our efforts. The Recruiting Manager does not have access to the Monitoring Information Sections of the application form at any stage of the process and the information provided will be kept entirely confidential.
For a confidential discussion on this role please contact:
Frank McKenna, Global Managing Director or Michael Earnshaw, Director of Research whose details can be found at the bottom of this microsite.
Closing Date: 16th June 2025
Stakeholder event: 1st July 2025
Final Interviews: 16th July 2025