NATIONAL HEART FAILURE AUDIT STEERING
GROUP
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Version 2
10th August 2015
NATIONAL HEART FAILURE AUDIT STEERING GROUP
TERMS OF REFERENCE
1. TITLE
The National Heart Failure Audit Steering Group
2. INTRODUCTION
The National Heart Failure Audit Steering Group is the main stakeholder engagement
group of the National Heart Failure Audit. These terms of reference set out the
membership, structure of partnerships, decision-making and accountability, work plan and
performance management, confidentiality and the arrangements for the conduct of
business of the group.
3. PURPOSE
The Steering Group is the audit’s main stakeholder engagement group. Stakeholders in the
audit include Consultant Cardiologists from all participating countries, primary care
physicians with an interest in heart failure, Heart Failure Specialist Nurses and
Pharmacists, clinical audit and effectiveness personnel, heart failure patients, and NICOR
analytical, technical and project management and operational support. The group is
expected to discuss all major audit developments at a primary stage, to contribute feedback
and constructive input to the National Heart Failure Audit Executive Group, and to review
all planned developments prior to their implementation. Steering Group members are
expected to discuss audit issues with other members of the groups which they represent, in
order to ensure that their comments are as representative as possible, and thus audit
decisions are not made on the basis of anecdote or personal opinion, as far as possible.
The Steering Group is represented on the audit National Heart Failure Audit Executive
Group by the clinical lead, the British Society of Heart Failure (BSH) representative and the
project manager. It is represented on the NICOR Professional Liaison Group by the clinical
lead and the BSH representative.
MEMBERSHIP
3.1. The Chair
The Chair of the National Heart Failure Audit Steering Group is the audit’s Clinical Lead.
His/her responsibilities include:
 Inviting specialists to attend meetings when required by the Steering Group;
 Guiding the meeting according to the agenda and time available;
 Ensuring all discussion items end with a decision, action or definite
outcome; and
 Reviewing and approving the draft minutes before distribution
3.2. The Project Manager
The National Heart Failure Audit Project Manager will be responsible for supporting the
Chair in the management of the Steering Group’s business. His/her responsibilities include:

Scheduling meetings and notifying members;

Preparing agendas and issuing notices for meetings, and ensuring all necessary
documents requiring discussion or comment are attached to the agenda;

Distributing the agenda and associated papers seven working days prior to any
meeting;

Taking notes of proceedings and prepare minutes of the meeting;

Brief minutes and action points arising from the meetings to be written and circulated
within 14 working days of the meeting;

Having the minutes checked by the Chair and accepted by committee members as a
true and accurate record at the commencement of the next meeting.
3.3. Qualification of membership
Steering Group members shall be proposed by the Chair, or recommendations sought by
the Chair from the Group, and subsequently voted on or agreed to by the group. The
Steering Group must have representation from Consultant Cardiologists from all
participating countries, primary care physicians with an interest in heart failure, Heart
Failure Specialist Nurses and Pharmacists, clinical audit and effectiveness personnel, heart
failure patients, and NICOR analytical, technical and project management and operational
support. Other stakeholders, such a NHS England, Clinical Networks, Cardiac Networks,
Clinical Commissioning Groups, local health boards and HQIP shall not be members of the
group, but may be invited where appropriate. Eligibility for reappointment will be considered
when members reach the end of their term (three years unless otherwise specified), when
non-NICOR representatives terminate their membership, or when members cease to
represent their respective stakeholder group.
Member
Position
Stakeholder role
End of membership
Theresa
McDonagh
Consultant Cardiologist and Professor of
Heart Failure (KCH) and National Heart
Failure Audit Clinical Lead
National Heart Failure Audit
January 2019
Suzanna
Hardman
Consultant Cardiologist (Whittington
Hospital) and past Chair of British Society
for Heart Failure (BSH)
BSH
January 2019
John Cleland
Professor of Cardiology (Imperial College
London)
Consultant cardiologist
(England)
January 2019
Gethin Ellis
Consultant Cardiologist
Consultant cardiologist (Wales)
January 2017
Jim Moore
General Practitioner and GP with Special
Interest (Gloucestershire Heart Failure
Service)
Primary care practitioner
January 2017
Jackie Austin
Nurse Consultant (Aneurin Bevan Health
Board) and Lead Nurse South Wales
Cardiac Network
Cardiac network/Heart Failure
Nurse Specialist (Wales)
January 2017
Gemma BaldockApps
Cardiology Audit and Data Manager (East
Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust)
Audit and clinical
effectiveness/database user
January 2017
Janine Beezer
Heart Failure Specialist Clinical
Pharmacist (City Hospitals Sunderland)
Heart Failure Specialist Clinical
Pharmacist /database user
January 2017
Dawn Lambert
Heart Failure Nurse Specialist
(Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust)
Heart Failure Nurse
Specialist/database user
January 2017
Kathy Simmonds
Heart Failure Nurse Specialist (Kettering
General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust)
Heart Failure Nurse
Specialist/database user
January 2017
Richard Mindham
Heart failure patient
Patient representative
January 2017
Akosua Donkor
National Heart Failure Audit Project
Manager
NICOR
Duration of
employment
Marion Standing
Developer for National Heart Failure Audit
NICOR developer
Duration of work on
audit
Aminat Shote
Information Analyst for National Heart
Failure Audit
NICOR analyst
Duration of work on
audit
3.4. Quorum membership
A quorum is necessary for the transaction of business. A minimum of five members must
be present before the meeting can proceed. The following of members must be present
before a meeting can proceed:

The Chair (or a nominated deputy)

The BSH representative (or a nominated deputy)

Three other members
3.5. Invitees
Internal or external persons may be invited to attend meetings at the request of the Chair
on behalf of the group to provide advice and assistance where necessary. It may not be
necessary for an invitee to attend the whole meeting and may be requested to
leave the meeting at any time by the Chair.
3.6. End of membership
Members will cease to be a member of the Steering Group if they:
 Resign from the group
 Fail to attend three consecutive meetings without providing apologies to the Chair or a
representative to attend the meeting
 Resign from their employment at NICOR
 Breach confidentiality
4. STRUCTURE OF PARTNERSHIPS
The Steering Group reports to the National Heart Failure Audit Executive Group. The
decisions of the Executive Group are accountable to audit stakeholders on the Steering
Group and HALO.
5. DECISION-MAKING AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Decisions will be made on a simple majority in any quorate meeting. In the event of
decisions required outside of the meeting schedule, an email vote by a minimum of 5
Steering Group members shall be satisfactory, with members given a minimum of one
week to respond to a decision request from the Chair through the project manager.
6. WORKPLAN AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
The National Heart Failure Audit Steering Group is responsible for informing the decisions
of the National Heart Failure Audit Executive Group and
Specifically, this includes


Input into:
o
The audit’s high-level project plan;
o
The appropriate methodology for the audit;
o
Dataset revisions;
o
The annual report analysis plan
o
The minimum data standard and minimum case ascertainment rate;
o
The functionality of the database applications and front end;
Feedback from stakeholder groups on the functionality, public image,
communications and credibility of the audit.
7. CONFIDENTIALITY
The business of the Steering Group is not confidential, although the Chair
reserves the right to censor sensitive information from published minutes in
exceptional circumstances. Minutes will be made publically available on the NICOR
website.
8. ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONDUCT OF BUSINESS
In addition to the ways of working highlighted within the roles of the Chair and minute-taker,
the following apply:
8.1. Frequency of meetings
The meetings will occur quarterly.
8.2. Duration of meetings
The meetings will be scheduled for 120 minutes.
8.3. Location of meetings
All meetings will be held at UCL. Room availability permitting, all will be held at NICOR, 170
Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 7HA. Travel expenses can be reimbursed. In line
with UCL procedure, all claims for reimbursement of expenses, incurred by an individual in
the course of UCL related business, must be supported by official receipts or some other
valid form of supporting documentation, providing details of the purpose of expenditure,
which will be signed by the claimant and an authorised NICOR staff member. All expense
claims must be presented for reimbursement within three months of the expenditure being
incurred and will be reimbursed via cheque or BACS to the nominated bank account. All
claims should adhere to the UCL Travel policy:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/finance/expensespol/travel_intro.html
9. REVIEW OF THE TERMS OF REFERENCE
The terms of reference and membership shall be reviewed annually from the date of
approval to ensure the group continues to be fit for purpose. They may be altered to meet
the current needs of all members, by agreement by the Chair and the majority of members.
10. TERMS OF REFERENCE – AGREEMENT
The terms of reference of the National Heart Failure Audit Steering Group have been:
Reviewed: 23/01/2014
Agreed: 25/02/2014
Date for review: 25/02/2015
[NB: updated on 10/08/2015 to account for changes in NICOR staffing]