The Board Member Conflicts of Interests Report for The Shrewsbury & Telford Hospitals NHS Trust (SaTH) is published at least annually and is reviewed every six months.
A latest update presented to a recent meeting of the SaTH board showed potential conflicts of interest of the group of people who make crucial decisions for the county’s major acute hospitals (Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and Royal Shrewsbury Hospital).
Labour supporter Diana ‘Rosi’ Edwards, a non-executive director, said she has a non-financial loyalty interest because her daughter Sarah Edwards is now MP for Tamworth in Staffordshire.
Ms Edwards wrote: “SaTH has links to University of North Midlands NHS Trust, which provides services to people in Tamworth.
“It may be that in campaigning my daughter will want to comment on the way services are provided in southeast Staffordshire.”
She also declared that she has been the branch secretary of Billesley Branch Labour Party, in Selly Oak, in Birmingham, since November 2022.
She wrote: “The role is largely administrative and low-key. I can see little prospect of a conflict of interest arising with my work at SaTH, given the location of the branch.”
Jo Williams, the trust’s chief executive, declared that she is a trustee of the charity ‘Versus Arthritis’, and her spouse is the deputy chief operation officer at University Hospital of Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.
Teresa Boughey, a non-executive director, said SaTH accountant WR Partners has been a historic client of her business Jungle HR Ltd.
Her son is a volunteer at SaTH and she added that to her non-financial personal interests.
Princess Royal Hospital in Telford. Picture: Google
She has also declared that she is a director of Inclusion 247 Ltd and a trustee of SaTH Charity, and that her daughter works at the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Hospital near Gobowen.
Non-executive director Sarah Dunnett is employed by Niche Health and Social Care Consulting, an employee-owned trust, which supplies health and social care investigations, healthcare analytics and assurance projects.
Heidi Fuller, an associate non-executive director, is employed by Keele University with whom SaTH has arrangements in place including to host Keele students on clinical placement.
Chief operating officer Edward Hobbs’s sister-in-law is deputy group director of nursing at Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust.
Executive medical director John Jones is a director at Dr J I W Jones ltd, while Nigel Lee, the director of strategy and partnerships, is a trustee at the Learning Community Trust, in Hadley.
Non-executive director Richard Miner is also a non-executive director of Tictrac Limited, a subsidiary of Dialogue Health Technologies Inc of Canada.
He is also a director in Enterprise FD Limited, a company providing financial consultancy services. He wrote that clients include those which may benefit from contracts with sections of the NHS.
Mr Miner is also the paid managing trustee of Dinwoodie Charitable Company, which provides financial support to NHS organisations.
He wrote: “I do not benefit financially from these grants but my interactions with senior clinicians and senior health service personnel may enhance my professional standing.”
Jonathan Sargeant, an associate non-executive director, earns £28,600 for two days a week of part-time employment carrying out project work for another part of the NHS in South Yorkshire.
Helen Troalen, the director of financial, said a husband of a close friend works for CCLA Investment Management Ltd. SaTH’s charity holds a contract with it but she added that the “conflict can be managed”.
The finance chief is also a close friend with a regional director at Siemens, which is a supplier of pathology and imaging equipment to the NHS.
“The trust holds contracts with this company,” she wrote. “The interest can be adequately managed.”
She is also a company director at Vadebeam Limited, a family business owned by her parents.
A recent report to the SaTH trust board said: “The trust’s standing orders outline that the registers of interests should be published at least annually.
“This report includes the board member interests only. It is intended that the board member interests are published on the trust’s website alongside the other registers of interests.”