Governance handbook

Page contents

Introduction

Our Governance Handbook (PDF only, 848KB) brings together a range of documents which support the NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICB (CIoS) Constitution (PDF only, 431KB)and promote good corporate governance.

The Handbook sets out in detail the corporate governance arrangements that will support the implementation of the ICB Constitution. It contains practical procedural details for applying the Constitution, including the Terms of Reference for Board Committees, the Scheme of Reservation and Delegation, the Functions and Decision Map, Standing Financial Instructions and other key policy documents. 

If there is any ambiguity between the NHS CIoS ICB Constitution and this Handbook, the interpretation in the Constitution will apply

Public involvement and engagement strategy

The ICB has a strategy on public involvement and engagement. This explains how we will engage and involve the people who live in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. We will do this when we make important decisions about them and the healthcare services we commission

Whistleblowing freedom to speak up policy

The ICB has a policy on whistleblowing and freedom to speak up. This tells colleagues how to raise any concerns they may have about the organisation and its services.

ICB pay and reward

The ICB follows national guidance on pay and rewards. This is sometimes called remuneration. For employees on pay bands 1 to 9 we follow national agenda for change. For those in very senior manager roles, we follow national guidance.

Duty of candour

We are committed to being an open and honest organisation.

We expect everyone who works for us to act in this way and to acknowledge, apologise and explain when things go wrong.

We demonstrate this commitment in the following ways:

• we hold board meetings in public with papers published on the website. Members of the public can ask questions and we respond to these as part of the meeting
• we ask the members of our board and committees to tell us about any potential or actual conflicts of interest
• we involve members of the community as part of our decision-making processes through public engagement and publish information on engagement activity on our website
• when a serious incident occurs, we ensure the relevant organisation investigates thoroughly and acts learn lessons
• we appreciate the importance of resolving complaints in a timely manner and aim to respond in 25 working days whenever possible

You can raise any concerns about our duty of candour with the complaints team. They will be able to discuss the issues you have. Find out how to make a complaint.

Annual report and governance statement

All NHS organisations must publish an annual report and financial statements at the end of each financial year. As part of this we must submit a governance statement.

The purpose of the governance statement is to supply assurance about the stewardship of the ICB. It is based on evidence on governance, risk management and control. You can find the annual governance statement our annual report.