Communities’ leadership executive

This initiative is all about improving how Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) govern and hold themselves accountable while prioritising community involvement and working closely with voluntary, community, and faith sector (VCFS) organisations to drive meaningful change in healthcare services. By focusing on accountability and community involvement, it will help to ensure that trust services are responsive to local needs, ultimately leading to better healthcare for everyone.

This executive meeting isn’t just a formality; it’s a powerful tool for accountability. It will allow the trust to monitor how well they are doing and identify areas where they can improve. By bringing together diverse viewpoints, the trust aim to challenge the way things are done and push for changes that promote equity and quality in our healthcare services.

Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust right now

Since 2023, the trust has taken a series of steps to be present in, and open itself up to, community leadership. Its elected governors serve within board committees, as well as on the council of governors. Community representatives contribute to the clinical leadership executive and all of its sub-groups. The trust has patient representatives on its interview panels at a senior level. These steps are parts of the wider promise 5 programme to open up the trust to feedback; alongside work to hugely expand peer support, prioritise the needs of carers, expand volunteering, and use tools like Care Opinion to let feedback from patients shape management action. Community leaders have also been key participants in the trust’s leadership development programme since 2024.

Creating the communities’ leadership executive follows from that initial work. It is timed to harness enthusiasm and trust that the organization in the leadership of key clinical services, and the wider organization, is open to change. The expectation is that the CoLE will:

• help shape agendas for the wider leadership, building on the views of patients, carers and communities
• influence delivery of the 28 promises (clinical and organisational strategy 2023 to 2028) and frame the successor strategy from 2028 and 2029
• ensure that work with communities is authentic and built on changing how the trust works to accommodate diversity and competing perspectives

The role and functions

Community feedback and advice

Providing insights and recommendations to the clinical leadership executive (CoLE) based on community needs and feedback. The clinical leadership executive will collect input from community members about their experiences with health services, pinpointing gaps and areas needing attention. This will build on data from complaints, patient feedback, incidents, and outcome information.

Decision-making and accountability

Reviewing key decisions made by or proposed to the clinical leadership executive and its sub-groups, ensuring that they reflect the interests and concerns of the communities served. The clinical leadership executive will be able to require executive and other leaders to attend to answer questions in the discharge of their duties, ensuring transparency and responsiveness to community voices.

Providing strategic input

It will help guide Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Trust’s strategic direction by offering a community perspective on priorities and initiatives, and clinical leadership executive will will examine new policies and service changes proposed by the NHS trust to ensure they align with what the community may need in medium term.

Facilitating communication and developing partnerships

The clinical leadership executive will act as a link between Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Trust and the wider community, sharing updates and important information about health services: in particular it will be responsible for ensuring that the voice of voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations is strong within the trust and that the trust continues to invest in the third sector.

Building capacity, insisting on co-production

It will support local organisations and residents in becoming more engaged with healthcare issues, promoting health literacy and awareness. It will involve community members in co-production efforts, where locals help design and evaluate health services to ensure they meet real needs.

The membership of the communities’ leadership executive

The communities’ leadership executive will consist of 15 members, with five seats allocated for each of the key areas served by the trust: Rotherham, Doncaster, and North Lincolnshire. This targeted distribution is designed to ensure equitable representation across all communities, reflecting the diverse needs and voices of the populations we serve. By having dedicated seats for each area, the trust aim to foster inclusivity, promote wider perspectives, and ensure that all community members have a meaningful opportunity to contribute to decision-making processes that impact their health services.

Call for expressions of interest: communities’ leadership executive

Overview

We are excited to announce the development of a communities’ leadership executive that will work in partnership with the clinical leadership executive at the trust. This new executive (a shadow to the most senior committee of the trust) will oversee decision-making processes and hold the trust accountable to the communities it serves.

Purpose of the communities leadership executive

The communities leadership executive (CoLE) will function as a shadow decision making body, playing a crucial role in amplifying community engagement across all three Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust areas. The role includes:

Advisory functions

Providing insights and recommendations to the clinical leadership executive board based on community needs and feedback.

Decision-making oversight

Reviewing key decisions made by the clinical leadership executive board, ensuring that they reflect the interests and concerns of the communities served.

Accountability

Holding the trust accountable for its decisions and actions, ensuring transparency and responsiveness to community voices.

Community engagement

Facilitating better communication between the trust and local communities, promoting understanding and collaboration.

Feedback mechanism

Acting as a channel for community feedback and concerns, ensuring they are considered in strategic planning and service delivery.

Board composition

Total seats: 15 community organisations.

Distribution:

• 5 seats for Rotherham
• 5 seats for Doncaster
• 5 seats for North Lincolnshire

Commitment

Monthly meetings: typically face-to-face. Time and travel will be renumerated.

Eligibility and selection process

We invite expressions of interest from community-based organisations committed to representing the voices of their communities. The process includes:

• short expression of interest: organisations interested in securing a seat on the board should complete a brief application
• selection process: a selection committee will review applications to ensure fair representation across all areas and selecting candidates who demonstrate a strong commitment to community advocacy and engagement
• term duration: successful applicants will serve a term of two years starting from April 2026

How to apply

If your organisation wishes to be part of this important initiative and ensure community representation, please complete the short expression of interest form.

Deadline for applications

Please submit your expressions of interest by 18 March 2026.

Selection committee process for assessing expressions of interest

Objective

To establish a fair and transparent process for assessing expressions of interest for the communities’ leadership executive, ensuring that selected organisations represent diverse community voices and effectively contribute to the board’s objectives.

Process overview

Formation of the Selection Committee: Comprise of members from trust leadership team, community representatives, including the trust’s governors, and other relevant stakeholders. Ensure diversity within the committee to reflect the communities served.

Initial review of expressions of interest assess all submitted expressions of interest based on the following criteria:

• organisational mission and alignment with health service goals
• experience in community engagement and advocacy
• capacity to represent and communicate community needs effectively
• commitment to collaborating with the trust and other board members

A scoring rubric to rate each application (for example, 1 to 5 scale for each criterion) will be utilised.

Shortlisting organisations: compile a list of organisations that meet the desired criteria threshold. Aim to shortlist 6 to 10 organisations from each area to the next stage.

Getting to know you session

Session structure

Schedule 5-minute sessions for each shortlisted organisation to meet with Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust leaders and community members.

These sessions will be designed as informal introductions to foster conversations and allow organisations to present their viewpoints and vision.

Session format

Each organisation will briefly introduce itself and outline its key strengths and aspirations for the board within the allocated 5 minutes.

This will be a relaxed, informal approach with trust leaders and community representatives moving from table to table.

Trust leaders and community members will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Final decision-making

After the sessions, trust leaders and community members will conduct a debriefing to discuss their impressions and insights from the sessions.

Each participant will provide feedback on the organisations they interacted with.

The selection committee will review this feedback and make final decisions on the organisations to be appointed to the community leadership executive board, considering both application scores and session feedback.

Notification of results

Notify all applicants of the outcome, thanking them for their interest and providing feedback where appropriate.

Announce the selected organisations publicly and outline the next steps for onboarding new members to the executive.

Timeline

• Expressions of interest submission deadline: 18 March 2026
• Selection committee review period: 20 March
• Getting to know you sessions: 27 March
• Final decision announcement: 4 April

Conclusion

This selection process aims to ensure that the communities’ leadership executive is composed of organisations that genuinely represent community interests and can effectively collaborate with the trust. Through transparency and engagement, we aim to foster a strong partnership between the trust and the communities it serves.

Page last reviewed: March 02, 2026
Next review due: March 02, 2027