Governance

We are hosted by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust under an annually renewed hosting agreement. All HIEM staff are employed by our hosted Trust and we operate under our host organisation’s policies and procedures. However, as a hosted contract, we also have our own identity, organisational values and complementary governance arrangements.

For further information about our hosted Trust, please visit their website: https://www.nuh.nhs.uk/

Freedom of Information Requests

As HIEM is hosted by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, we are not a legal entity, so we follow all our Trust policies and procedures, including for any Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. Further information on the FOI Act, how to access information, what you can ask for and how long it will take can be found on our hosted Trust’s website at: https://www.nuh.nhs.uk/freedom-of-information. 

As our hosted Trust, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust will acknowledge, manage and respond to all Freedom of Information requests received into HIEM. All FOIs should be sent to our host Trust in the first instance via: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or using an online data request form via: https://trustportal.nuh.nhs.uk/. Any FOIs received into HIEM directly will automatically be forwarded to our hosted Trust to manage and respond on our behalf.

Declarations of Interest

As a hosted organisation to Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, HIEM follows NHS England’s guidance and good practice recommendations on disclosing and managing all types of declarations of interest to promote transparency in all aspects of our decision-making ensuring our public funds are spent well, free from undue influence. These interests could take a variety of forms, examples include but are not limited to; gifts, hospitality, outside employment, other ownership interests, sponsored research or other relevant private practice.

All types of declarations are collected on an annual basis for all of HIEM’s decision-making staff. These declarations are managed internally throughout the year and uploaded retrospectively on an annual basis by 31 March. Declarations for 2023/24 are listed below:

• 2024/25 HIEM Interests to Declare
• 2024/25 HIEM Nil Declarations
• 2023/24 HIEM Interests to Declare
• 2023/24 HIEM Nil Declarations

Programme and project governance

Our projects and enabling services are shaped by ongoing consultation with East Midlands Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to ensure they reflect national NHS and local system priorities. This also supports the alignment to the key areas of focus outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Each of our projects has a steering group and operational management group (which may be combined depending on the project’s size). Membership includes the project partners with a Health Innovation East Midlands executive lead and operational management group link. In addition, our plans are shaped with input from reference groups and our wider partners.

Steering groups:

• Oversee delivery against plan milestones
• Act as a point of escalation for the operational management group
• Review and agree any significant changes to scope, duration or costs
• Share results of evaluations of the benefits and impacts of programmes
• Develop plans to spread programmes within and/or beyond the East Midlands.

Operational management groups:

• Oversee progress against the programme plans
• Ensure resources and dependencies are managed
• Ensure enabling support and appropriate expert advice is used
• Manage risks and mitigations, address barriers and where necessary escalate to the steering group.

HIEM Governance Board

Our Governance Board provides strategic oversight and our performance against agreed metrics is reviewed through quarterly assurance meetings with our commissioners: NHS England (our main funder); and the Government’s Office for Life Sciences (which funds our Innovation Exchanges).

The Board has adopted best practice and upholds the ‘Standards for members of NHS boards and CCG governing bodies in England’ published by the Professional Standards Authority. Led by our Independent Chair, the Governance Board’s remit includes scrutiny and assurance of:

• Financial, performance and risk management
• Development of, and delivery against our strategy and Business Plan
• Equality impact and action.

Health Innovation East Midlands has separate Governance Board meetings to Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Board meetings. HIEM Governance Board meetings are not held in public so our meeting agenda papers and minutes are not published on our website. As a hosted organisation, our governing body is Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and further detail can be found on their website including what information is published on our behalf via the model publication scheme: https://www.nuh.nhs.uk/about-us.

However, HIEM alongside Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is committed to transparency, we invite you to contact us about any aspect of our work, governance or finance – please get in touch at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.