1. Purpose
To enable the Board of Trustees of the HALO Trust (HALO) to discharge its responsibilities more effectively, the Medical Board is established with the following terms of reference:
1.2 Supporting the Board of Trustees to ensure that it is fulfilling its duties and obligations to the charity in the field of medical care, including:
- Providing clinical governance through independent professional counsel to HALO on the policies, strategy and direction of medical care;
- Providing direct quality assurance of all medical provision through regular visits to HALO programmes;
- Ensuring that HALO remains at the forefront of best practice to improve care and outcomes for our sick and injured staff;
- Reviewing the full range of appropriate data and treatment given following injury or illness;
- Ensuring best practice is adopted by all concerned;
- Ensuring that appropriate occupational health provision is made by the organisation and provide expert guidance where appropriate;
- Regularly reviewing these terms of reference and making recommendations, as appropriate.
2. Membership, etc.
2.1 One member of the Medical Board will sit as a Board Member on the HALO Board of Trustees.
2.2 To ensure the required broad spectrum of clinical expertise, the membership of the Medical Board will normally comprise around 30 members.
2.3 The Chief Executive of HALO shall not be a member of the Medical Board but shall be “in attendance” as a matter of course, with a nominated executive of HALO acting as secretary to the Medical Board.
2.4 The Medical Board shall appoint its Chair by a majority vote of its members. In the absence of the Medical Board Chair and/or an appointed deputy, the remaining members present shall elect one of themselves by a majority vote to chair a meeting.
2.5 The appointment of the Medical Board Chair shall normally be for a period of 3 x 3 years, and with the possibility of further re-election(s) after 9 years with a two-thirds majority vote.
2.6 Smaller Steering Committees (together “the Steering Group”) will comprise members of the Medical Board with expertise in Training, Medical Policy, and Morbidity and Mortality Data, in order to provide information to the wider group. The Steering Group is responsible to the Medical Board Chair.
3. Meetings
3.1. Meetings of the Medical Board shall be called by the Chair or by the secretary of the Medical Board. There shall be at least one meeting in each calendar year. The Steering Group will report to the Medical Board Meetings and the Steering Committees that make up the Steering Group shall liaise with each other on a more regular basis.
3.2. Notice of each Medical Board meeting, confirming the venue, time and date, together with an agenda of items to be discussed, shall be forwarded to each member of the Medical Board and any other person required to attend, no later than five working days before the date of the meeting. Supporting papers shall be sent to Medical Board members and to other attendees as appropriate, at the same time.
3.4. The secretary shall minute the proceedings and decisions of all meetings of the Medical Board. Draft minutes shall be circulated promptly to all Medical Board members prior to approval.
4. Process matters
4.1. The Medical Board Chair shall report regularly to the HALO Board on its proceedings.
These Terms of Reference are subject to annual review.
Effective from 1 April 2019
