Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) provides a significant public service in Nottingham. It is vitally important that our patients, staff, stakeholders and our local communities have trust and confidence in what we do and how we do it, and trust relies on accountability.
This Statement of Intent sets out our approach to accountability at NUH. We want to be clear that our intention is to be transparent and open in the decisions we make and the way that we carry out our day-to-day activities. This is important because of the sensitive and personal nature of what we do at NUH.
NUH is responsible for providing a wide range of health care services. In doing so, we have a duty to provide high quality care and experience for our patients and their families. At the same time, we have a responsibility to be a reliable and trustworthy counterparty to our many partners and stakeholders. In addition, we are responsible for our NUH staff who rely on us to provide safe working conditions and an inclusive environment so that they can deliver high quality care and benefit from professional development.
Taking accountability means living by our values, accepting that we can all take responsibility for our day-to-day work, addressing problems and improving our services. Crucially, accountability means that everything done by those who work in the NHS must be able to stand the test of parliamentary scrutiny, public judgements on propriety and professional codes of conduct (Code of Conduct for NHS Boards – NHSBSA). In particular, it is important we admit mistakes when they are made and say sorry as quickly as possible.
In this document we describe how we are governed and where accountability sits, from the NUH Trust Board to individual employees. In doing so, we hope to show how our governance processes, our approach to patient safety, and our human resources processes combine to form a comprehensive approach to accountability, with appropriate checks and balances.
Through our commitment to accountability, we intend to foster a culture of openness, trust and continuous improvement. It is through a commitment to accountability, combined with effective governance, processes and systems, that we will secure high quality services, where safety, quality and experience are at the best level possible for our patients, staff and communities.
