What is your name?
Dean Fathers
What is your role?
Chair of Nottnghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Why did you choose to work in the NHS?
I first joined the NHS about 20 years ago as a result of work I did with the Board of another Mental Health Trust in Yorkshire. I have to be honest that I thought at the time it would only be a three year role as a Non-Executive Director once I was appointed and the initial reason for joining was more to do with the experience I could gain than the service I could offer but that soon changed when I realised the immense value that the NHS provides to service users and their carers and I bought into the mission that I still hold “to add years to life and life to years”.
Describe what you do in 100 words or less.
My main responsibility is to Chair the Board, develop policy and foresight, approve strategy, ensure scarce resources are allocated and hold the Executive to account for the deployment of those resources on behalf of our key stakeholders including local citizens, service users/patients, carers, volunteers, staff, their families, governors, commissioners, regulators, our partners and our supply chain. In addition I am responsible for ensuring we have a ‘Learning Board’ which leads an organisation that itself continues to learn to be the best it can be so as to ensure its long term success and sustainability.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
What I most enjoy about my job is the interaction with staff and service users, and seeing the positive impact we have working as a team on improving people’s lives.
What three words would you use to describe the NHS?
Compassionate, valuable and essential.
If you could give the NHS any 70th birthday present what would it be?
The present I would give to the NHS at 70 if it were in my gift is the thing I try to ensure each day, continued sustainability.
What advice would you give to someone who was thinking about working at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust?
The advice I would give to someone with the right values who is thinking about working with the team at Nottinghamshire Healthcare is “stop thinking and apply”. In my opinion, Nottinghamshire Healthcare is one of the most innovative, value-adding, enjoyable and sustainable parts of the NHS and I am proud to be its Chair.
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