The Earl Mountbatten Hospice is a charitable trust and a company limited by guarantee. The company registration number is 2929267 and the charity number is 1039086.

The Trust objectives are 'The provision of palliative care, both on the Trust premises and elsewhere within the Isle of Wight, to persons diagnosed as suffering from a terminal illness or exceptionally from a non-terminal illness, the symptoms of which are both severe and responsive to the treatments provided by the Trust to terminally ill patients; the relief of relatives and dependants both before and after bereavement, particularly by the provision of counselling; and the provision of palliative care education and training of nurses and others'.

The charity trustees are also company directors and they are currently:

Trutees Role Description

The Trustees have overall responsibility for the Hospice and this is split into the three areas of legal responsibility, financial responsibility to see that any money or property held in trust are properly accounted for and the managerial responsibility, including the appointment of and contractual arrangements with staff and volunteers. The Trustees work to an agreed role description, as follows:

With other Trustees to hold the charity ‘in trust’ for current and future beneficiaries by:

1. Ensuring that the charity has a clear vision, mission and strategic direction and is focused on achieving these
2. Being responsible for the performance of the charity and for its ‘corporate’ behaviour
3. Ensuring that the charity complies with all legal and regulatory requirements
4. Acting as guardians of the charity’s assets, both tangible and intangible, taking all due care over their security, deployment and proper application
5. Ensuring that the charity’s governance is of the highest possible standard.

Duties and tasks to fulfill these key responsibilities:

1. Ensuring that the charity has a clear vision, mission and strategic direction and is focused on achieving these; to work in partnership with other Trustees, the Chief Executive and other senior staff to ensure that:

1.1. the charity has a clear vision, mission and strategic plan that have been agreed by the Board and that there is a common understanding of these by Trustees and staff;
1.2. the business, operational and other plans support the vision, mission and strategic priorities;
1.3. the Chief Executive’s annual and longer term objectives and targets support the achievement of the vision, mission and strategic priorities;
1.4. Board policies support the vision, mission and strategic priorities;
1.5. there are effective mechanisms:
• to listen to the views of beneficiaries;
• to review the external environment for changes that might affect the charity;
• to re-assess the need for the charity and for the services it provides, or could provide, and
• to review regularly its strategic plans and priorities.

2. Being responsible, with the other Trustees, for the performance of the charity and for its ‘corporate’ behaviour;

2.1. To agree the method for measuring objectively the progress of the charity in relation to its vision, mission, strategic objectives/priorities, business plans and annual targets, and to receive regular reports on the performance of the charity.
2.2. To ensure that the fundamental values and guiding principles of the charity are articulated and reflected throughout the charity.
2.3. To ensure that views of beneficiaries on the performance of the charity are regularly gathered and considered by the Board.
2.4. To appoint the Chief Executive, to set his terms and conditions and to ensure that the Chief Executive and the charity invest in the Chief Executive’s ongoing professional development.
2.5. To receive regular reports from the Chief Executive on progress towards agreed strategic priorities.
2.6. To hold the Chief Executive to account for the management and administration of the charity.
2.7. To ensure that the Chief Executive receives regular, constructive feedback on his performance in managing the charity and in meeting his annual and longer term targets and objectives.
2.8. To ensure that the Chief Executive develops a learning organization and that all staff, both paid and unpaid, review their own performance and regularly receive feedback.
2.9. To articulate the values of the charity.
2.10. To agree Board policies.
2.11. To ensure that there are mechanisms for beneficiaries, employees, volunteers, other individuals, groups or organizations to bring to the attention of the Trustees any activity that threatens the probity of the charity.

3. Ensuring that the charity complies with all legal and regulatory requirements;

3.1. To be aware of, and to ensure that charity complies with, all legal, regulatory and statutory requirements.
3.2. To maintain familiarity with the rules and constitution that govern the charity, to ensure that the charity complies with its governing instruments and to review the constitution regularly.
3.3. To agree the levels of delegated authority, to ensure that these are recorded in writing by means of minutes, terms of reference for sub-committees, job descriptions for honorary officers, Trustees and key staff etc, and to ensure that there are clear reporting procedures.
3.4. To ensure that the responsibilities delegated to the Chief Executive are clearly expressed and understood, and directions given to him come from the Board as a whole.

4. Being guardians of all the charity’s assets, both tangible and intangible, taking all due care over their security, deployment and proper application.

4.1. To ensure that the charity has satisfactory control systems and procedures for holding in trust for the beneficiaries all monies, properties and other assets and to ensure that monies are invested to the maximum benefit of the charity within the constraints of the law and ethical and other policies laid down by the Board.
4.2. To ensure that the major risks to which the charity is exposed are reviewed annually and that systems have been established to mitigate or minimize these risks.
4.3. To ensure that the income and property of the charity is applied for the purposes set out in the governing document and for no other purpose.
4.4. To act reasonably, prudently and collectively in all matters relating to the charity and always to act in the interests of the charity.
4.5. To be accountable for the solvency and continuing effectiveness of the charity.
4.6. To exercise effective overall control of the charity’s financial affairs and to ensure that the way in which the charity is administered is not open to abuse by unscrupulous associates, employees or volunteers; and that the systems of control are rigorous and constantly maintained through regular evaluation and improvement in the light of experience.
4.7. To ensure that intangible assets such as organizational knowledge and expertise, intellectual property, the charity’s good name and reputation etc are properly valued, utilized and safeguarded.
4.8. To know on a continuing basis what condition the charity’s land/property is in, if its boundaries are being encroached upon, what can be done with it and how it is or should be used.
4.9. To ensure that all income due to the charity is received and that all tax benefits are obtained and all rating relief due is claimed.

5. Ensuring that the charity’s governance is of the highest possible standard.

5.1. To ensure that the charity has a governance structure that is appropriate to its size/complexity, stage of development, and its charitable objects, and that enables the Trustees to fulfill their responsibilities.
5.2. To reflect annually on the Board’s performance and your own performance as a Trustee.
5.3. To ensure that the Trustee Board has the skills required to govern the charity well and has access to relevant external professional advice and expertise.
5.4. To ensure that there is a systematic, open and fair procedure for the recruitment of Trustees.
5.5. To ensure that there are succession plans for the Chair and the Chief Executive.
5.6. To participate in individual and collective development and training of Trustees.
5.7. To abide by the code of conduct for Trustees.
5.8. To ensure that major decisions and Board policies are made by the Trustees acting collectively.

The Board of Trustees aims to have at any one time ten to twelve members. New Trustees are appointed by the existing Trustees of the charity and have a full induction programme to enable them to contribute rapidly to the organisation.