NED webinar recap: board leadership through change
31 March 2025
Last Friday’s NHS NED webinar marked the fifth anniversary of these peer-to-peer sessions for non-executive directors. Our topic was board leadership through change and the guest speaker was Katherine Lavery, Chair of Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH).
GGI CEO Andrew Corbett-Nolan opened the session by reflecting on the journey of these webinars, which began during the first week of the pandemic lockdown. He highlighted the connections made across the country, bringing NEDs together from diverse regions to share insights and support each other.
Katherine Lavery shared her experiences, emphasising RDaSH’s commitment to community-driven governance and transformative change. Katherine, who has been an NHS chair since 2001, described the trust's innovative approach to integrating community voices into decision-making processes. "We believe in participative democracy," she said, explaining how RDaSH embeds patients and service users in its governance framework.
Katherine discussed the impact of recruiting Toby Lewis as RDaSH chief executive, known for his disruptive approach and strong vision for addressing health inequalities. "He's incredibly clever and his passion and vision are unmatched," Lavery noted. She highlighted the challenges and rewards of working with a leader who constantly pushes boundaries and drives change.
RDaSH's five-year strategy, built on five strategic objectives and 28 promises to the community, was a focal point of Katherine’s presentation. These promises are tracked rigorously at board meetings, ensuring accountability and transparency. Katherine emphasised the importance of community engagement. She said: "Our communities, our patients, our service users are embedded in our governance framework."
The discussion also explored the practical implications of RDaSH's approach on staff and governance. Katherine described how the trust has moved staff into community settings, fostering closer relationships with service users. The trust's commitment to paying the real living wage and eliminating agency staff has strengthened its workforce and improved service delivery.
The discussion prompted a lively Q&A session, with NEDs from various trusts sharing their experiences and posing questions about implementing similar strategies. Topics ranged from engaging clinicians in community-driven governance to navigating procurement rules for social enterprises.
Overall, the webinar offered insights into the role of disruptive leadership and community engagement in transforming NHS trusts. Katherine’s experiences at RDaSH serve as an example of how innovative governance can lead to meaningful improvements in health services and community wellbeing.
