Job summary
- Main area
- Independent Chair
- Grade
- £1,000 per day (the rate per session is £500 and there will be two sessions per day) - maximum of 15 days per year
- Contract
- Bank: until 31st October 2026
- Hours
- Part time
- Other
- Job ref
- 990-CFO-16546-E
- Employer
- NHS England
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Wellington House
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £10,000 - £15,000 pro rata
- Salary period
- Session by session
- Closing
- 08/12/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Independent Chair of National Oversight Group
£1,000 per day (the rate per session is £500 and there will be two sessions per day) - maximum of 15 days per year
Our Organisation
The NHS is building a culture that is positive, compassionate and inclusive – and we all have our part to play.
As employers we are committed to protecting and promoting the physical and mental health and wellbeing of all our colleagues. This underpins our values as set out in the NHS Constitution and supports us to be an Employer of Choice, while helping our colleagues to deliver high quality services for our patients and communities.
As a flexible employer, we want to support you to work in a way that is best for the NHS, our patients and you. Talk to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time, hybrid working or another flexible pattern. In addition, although the role advertised may have a ‘home’ office base indicated, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
We are an accredited Living Wage Employer which means that every colleague working for our organisation and third-party contractors will earn a real Living Wage. We are one of over 15,000 organisations, who voluntarily chose to pay the real Living Wage.
Job overview
The purpose of the National Oversight Group (NOG) is to provide assurance and support to NHS England (NHSE) as the commissioner of the services, and acting on behalf of Secretary of State, in discharging the functions set out in section 16 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
NOG is supported by a triumvirate of independent advisors, namely the independent chair, independent security advisor and independent clinical advisor.
NOG meets in person on a quarterly basis, including an assurance visit as part of the oversight of provision. After each meeting, the Chair of NOG will provide the Secretary of State with a summary of the key matters from the meeting and progress against any relevant actions.
The Independent Chair of NOG is responsible for providing NHSE and the SoS assurance that the High Secure Hospital Services are operating within the Directions, the Mental Health Code of Practice (for the current and then future Mental Health Act) and holding the system to account for ensuring the appropriate level of capacity is available. The role will be to ensure that approaches taken support the achievement of the best outcomes for patients.
The tenure of the role is usually for 3 years, but due to the pending organisational changes for NHSE and DHSC, the post is initially being offered on a fixed term basis through to 31st October 2026.
Main duties of the job
- Responsibility for the chairing of NOG, which holds accountability for providing assurance to NHS England that national policy and context is disseminated consistently across England and Wales as it applies to high secure services on a system wide basis
- Chairing of NOG to be able to discharge its responsibilities to provide assistance to NHS England in fulfilling ‘line of sight’ responsibilities. It focusses on the quality, safety, security, and strategic direction of the high secure services, taking account of the requirements of the wider National Health Service (NHS) and criminal justice system. This also includes support to, and assurance of the High Secure approval process every five years
- Being responsible for providing NHSE and the SoS assurance that the High Secure Hospital Services are operating within the Directions, the Mental Health Code of Practice (for the current and then future Mental Health Act) and holding the system to account for ensuring the appropriate level of capacity is available
Working for our organisation
The NHS England board have set out the top-level purpose for the new organisation to lead the NHS in England to deliver high-quality services for all, which will inform the detailed design work and we will achieve this purpose by:
- Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities.
- Making the NHS a great place to work, where our people can make a difference and achieve their potential.
- Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
- Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
- Delivering value for money.
If you would like to know more or require further information, please visit https://www.england.nhs.uk/.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.
If you are successful at interview, we will run an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) in the Electronic Staff Record system (ESR). This transfer gathers valuable information from a previous or current NHS employer to support the onboarding process, including; statutory and mandatory competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You will have the opportunity throughout the recruitment process to inform us if you do not consent.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
As the Independent Chair of NOG you will be responsible for providing NHSE and the SoS assurance that the High Secure Hospital Services are operating within the Directions, the Mental Health Code of Practice (for the current and then future Mental Health Act) and holding the system to account for ensuring the appropriate level of capacity is available. Your role will be to ensure that approaches taken support the achievement of the best outcomes for patients.
See role descriptor for details
You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.
The rate of pay is £1,000 per day (the rate per session is £500 and there will be two sessions per day) for up to a maximum of 15 days a year. Exact hours worked will need to be claimed through our expenses system.
Person specification
Skills and Experience
Essential criteria
- Partnership working with other agencies and ability to work across all levels
- Political acumen
- Ability to communicate directly and challenge effectively
- Proven integrity with track record that will command the trust of NOG members and stakeholders
- Models values-based leadership
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Sarah Warmington
- Job title
- Deputy Director of Specialised MHHLDA
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07568 431734
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