Conflicts of Interest

What is a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest is defined as a set of circumstances by which a reasonable person would consider that an individual’s ability to apply judgement or act, in the context of delivering, commissioning, or assuring taxpayer funded health and care services is, or could be, impaired or influenced by another interest they hold.

NHS England

Managing Conflicts of Interest

We are committed to managing any actual or potential conflicts of interest that arise in the course of business in a manner that demonstrates the highest degree of transparency, probity and accountability.

The ICB’s Constitution and Standards of Business Conduct Policy sets out the ICB’s arrangements for managing conflicts of interest throughout its decision making and commissioning processes.  They also set out the expectations that apply to its ICB Board Members, staff and others involved in the work of the ICB.  The arrangements described in the policy are in-line with relevant legislation and statutory guidance concerning the management of conflicts of interest.

Register of Interests

Our policy describes the robust arrangements we have implemented to ensure that the ICB’s decisions are not influenced (or perceived to be influenced) by conflicted individuals.  These arrangements include excluding individuals from participating in discussions and decisions where it is considered that the conflict is significant.

Our full register of declared interests for all ICB staff is available on request by emailing nnicb-nn.interests@nhs.net..  Below are the declared interests of the ICB’s ‘decision-makers’ (staff who have a material influence as to how money is spent); which are namely:

• Members of our Board and its committees; and
• Members of ICB Groups with delegated financial decision-making authority.

The information in the table below was published on 24 April 2025.

Conflict of Interest Guardian

John Dunstan, Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee is the ICB’s Conflict of Interest Guardian. He is responsible for providing impartial and unconflicted advice and judgement to the ICB Board, further strengthening the scrutiny and transparency of the ICB’s decision making processes. As the Conflicts of Interest Guardian, John:

• Is the conduit for anyone with concerns relating to conflicts of interest;
• Is a safe point of contact for employees or workers of the ICB to raise concerns in relation to conflicts of interest;
• Supports the rigorous application of the principles and policies for managing conflicts of interest;
• Provides independent advice and judgment where there is any doubt about how to apply conflicts of interest policies and principles in individual situations;
• Provides advice on minimising the risks of conflicts of interest.

To contact John directly please email: nnicb-nn.ics@nhs.net