What we do

The Corporate Affairs Team is responsible for number of corporate issues including:

  • Ensuring the Trust establishes and maintains the highest levels of corporate governance across the organisation
  • Provision of advice and guidance to the Board of Directors to ensure the Trust operates in accordance with its statutory and legal provision
  • Acting as the point of contact and support to the Trust's Governors
  • Foundation Trust Membership
  • Freedom of Information
  • Policy development, approval and ratification
  • The maintenance of the Register of Interests and Register of Gifts and Hospitality
  • Management of non-clinical records (ie corporate records) of the Trust - ensuring Trust-wide documents are held, stored and destroyed in line with good practice and legal requirements
  • The arranging of the Trust's annual Recognition Awards process and ceremony
  • Leads the long service award process 
  • Production of the Trust’s Annual Report and organisation of the Annual General Meeting/Annual Members meeting
  • Planning and coordination of official visits to the Trust as well as internal events and celebrations
  • Trust link with a range of partners
  • Emergency Preparedness Resilience and Response
  • Charitable Fundraising

Freedom to Speak Up

The Director of Corporate Affairs & Legal/Trust Secretary, Andrea Hetherington, is also the Trust's Freedom to Speak Up Guardian.  Further information on this role and how to speak up if you have concerns can be found here.

Development, Approval and Management of Policies Policy (commonly referred to as 'Policy on Policies'

In order to ensure clarity it is imperative that the Trust has in place an effective policy control and archive system. It is recognised that well maintained policies will improve the quality of patient care and general safety by reducing the risk of staff working outside of agreed policies.  Policies must be in the agreed Trust format, contain the ratification date, the body by which they were ratified and when they will be reviewed.

The policy below outlines the process which must be followed when developing and reviewing policies.  Also included below is a policy template document, a policy approval proforma, equality impact assessment screening tool and a template to be submitted to Policy Committee should a policy be delayed in its review process.

Enquiries relating to the Trust's policy process should be sent to the Trust's Corporate Affairs Department (corporate.affairs@chsft.nhs.uk)

Development, Approval and Management of Policies Policy

Policy Template

Policy Approval Proforma

Equality Impact Assessment Initial screening Tool

Policy Review Extension Request

Who we are & how to contact us

Director of Corporate Affairs & Legal/Trust Secretary/Freedom to Speak Up Guardian
Andrea Hetherington
Ext 42168
Tel 569 9110
Sunderland Royal Hospital - THQ
andrea.hetherington1@nhs.net

Personal Assistant to Director of Corporate Affairs & Legal/Trust Secretary
Susan Bostock
Ext 49110
Tel 569 9110
Sunderland Royal Hospital - THQ
susan.bostock2@nhs.net
 

Assistant Trust Secretary
Joanne Williamson
Ext 2171
Tel 202 2171
South Tyneside District Hospital - Harton Wing
joanne.williamson3@nhs.net

Charitable Fundraiser
Vacancy
Ext 42946
Sunderland Royal Hospital - THQ
stsft.charity@nhs.net

Emergency Planning Coordinator
Christine Bullmore
Ext 42667
Tel 569 9639
Sunderland Royal Hospital - THQ
c.bullmore@nhs.net

 

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