In a recent poll eShare, the UK’s leading supplier of enterprise governance software asked “which of these challenges do you recognise when managing governance and associated meetings today?”  81% of respondents admitted their committee and board members are faced with a paperwork burden, while 69% agreed that meeting management and administration is time-consuming. 

Half of the individuals polled also admitted that they did not have visibility or receive alerts for either new or outstanding actions, and two thirds did not have an automated audit trail of decision-making.  Of those that did have software in place, none were using it to alert individuals to information or meeting updates.  However, nearly half of respondents agreed that they would find such alerts useful.

The survey also found that more than 50% of respondents thought that board level governance needed to be improved, but only a quarter said they had the necessary tools in place.

Alister Esam, CEO, eShare, said “NHS Trusts operate within an incredibly complex and fast-paced environment and it is imperative they receive the support they need to manage their responsibilities effectively.  Governance is becoming an increasingly critical issue for NHS Trusts and at eShare we believe our technology can save Trusts the costs, risks and time they’re being pushed hard to reduce.  eShare’s intuitive software delivers the transparency and security committees need in order to collaborate effectively and make timely decisions.”

Alister went on to explain, “We are currently working with a number of NHS Trusts who are evaluating and rolling out our software and we are excited about being able to make a real and positive difference to the running of these Trusts.”  He continued, “We are confident this is a trend which is set to continue.  Our survey results show that as the NHS transforms with the establishment of FTs and the devolving of Commissioning and Provider arms, there is increasing need for, and interest in, solutions that can support the board and associated sub-committees.”

*Survey results were captured at the recent HSJ 5th Annual NHS Governance Forum and through online responses to an email sent to validate NHS contacts.   Respondents were typically associate directors, senior managers, chief executives and NED’s within a wide range of NHS trusts across the UK.