In conjunction with the senior management team
This is really expressing a subjugation to the senior management team and as such is the most important clause in this rambling nonsense. The complaint made on January 2nd 2016 from Sara Ryan to Southern Health's Governors details a series of failings by the executive board/senior management team. It placed a duty on the governors to act in accordance with their responsibilities:
As an NHS foundation trust governor, you hold your foundation trust’s non-executive directors to account for the performance of the board and represent the interests of members and the public. [Monitor 2014]
This requires the governors to act independently in a scrutiny role. Instead, they have 'agreed' to collude with the executive board/senior management team according to this clause.
the Trust will explore with local Members of Parliament
Note this has nothing to do with the governors. This is purely a dialogue between senior management and MPs. The word 'explore' here means we will undertake a ritual bollocking from powerless MPs in order to make them feel a little bit important.
with the aim of requesting the Secretary of State for Health to further investigate
Again nothing to do with the governors. This part of the resolution has three separate indicators of action without there being any necessity for action on anyone's part: aim; requesting; further investigate. That such non-action clauses follows the ritual bollocking from MPs underlines the powerlessness of that ritual to achieve change.
the change in the organisational paradigm of the NHS and the Trust necessary
Again, what does this have to do with the governors? This resolution isn't asking for any change in the practice of Southern Health. Nor is it asking for any change in the 'organisational paradigm' (whoever thought that was an appropriate phrase is a delusional cockwomble) but merely that Jeremy Hunt reflects on said paradigm. It is passive in voice while attempting a slight of hand.
to enable the creation of a no-blame management culture
This is possibly the only honest part of this resolution: stop blaming us. This is very much the language of Jeremy Hunt being used so it suggests some possible collusion between the Department of Health and Southern Health. Which further begs the question about the usage of 'requesting' in this resolution. Fortunately for the senior management team, their governors already appear to believe in a no-blame/no-accountability culture.
and the achievement of a cost-effective, high quality, customer-driven world class standard integrated health service
The only surprise is that '7 day' wasn't including in this specious ending. Was this copied and pasted out of the 2015 Conservative manifesto? Was this meant to be a rousing ending so that everyone could wave their bunting as if they were listening to Jerusalem at the Last Night of the Proms? Gawd knows what it has to do with the duties and responsibilities of being an NHS Foundation Trust governor.
Not a single thing within this resolution has anything to do with the board of governors. Not that there are any actions within it that compel Southern Health to change anything. If anything did occur then it will be the result of external agency (MPs, Secretary of State etc). This resolution demonstrates that no part of Southern Health's governance is capable of change or learning. It is completely broken.
To reiterate, in response to a detailed letter from Sara Ryan, the board of governors resolved to undertake two actions. The first was to talk to senior management. The second was to collude with senior management.
These people are both monstrous and dangerous.
UPDATE: Perhaps the governors aren't completely broken. This motion sent to Sara Ryan if adopted at an extraordinary meeting would mean withdrawing the nonsensical resolutions in the previous letter. Lets hope so.
