The South Island Neurosurgical Service's board of directors will take an honest and open approach in its communication with the public, its terms of reference say.
While all board meetings will be held in secret, to allow for free and frank discussion, the terms of reference acknowledge the need for communication with people in the South Island "who have a vested interest in the development and success of the service".
A media and communications strategy is to be developed recognising the board's responsibilities to "maintain strong relations" with the South Island district health boards and to ensure the public "remains informed".
The board's six-monthly written reports to the National Health Board will be made public.
The board, headed by Prof Andrew Kaye from Melbourne, released the terms of reference, designed by the National Health Board, yesterday.
Under the terms of reference, the national director of the National Health Board has the power to remove any member, including the chairman, after giving notice in writing.
Consultation with the chairman on the removal of a member is not required, the document stating the national director "shall have the discretion to consult with the chair".
Grounds for removal would be inability to perform the functions of office, bankruptcy, neglect of duty, or misconduct proved to the satisfaction of the national director.
The governance board, which has a term of three years with a review after two years, includes chairmen of the Southern and Canterbury district health boards, an expert consumer adviser, one of the chairmen of the other three South Island DHBs (rotating annually), and a University of Otago representative.
Although the board had its first meeting late last month, the final two appointees, an independent neurosurgeon and an iwi representative, have yet to be confirmed.
The chief executives of Southern DHB, Brian Rousseau, and Canterbury, David Meates, have a standing invitation to attend meetings and contribute to deliberations, but no voting rights.
"Relevant clinicians" or other staff members of the South Island DHBs, or the National Health Board, may be invited to attend and take part in discussion but they will also have no vote.
Under the terms of reference, the governance board is required to consult with the South Island boards over major organisational and structural decisions, but how this will be done is not explained.
Canterbury and Southern boards will be expected to co-operate with the board in undertaking their day-to-day business in line with the governance board's decisions and mandate. (The DHBs will continue to be the employers of neurosurgery staff.)The board will also consult with Otago University over major organisational and structural changes which could be of interest to the university.
A "Duties" section spells out that members of the board are to act as independent people responsible to the South Island Neurosurgical Service.
"Members are appointed for their knowledge and expertise, not as representatives of specific DHBs, other entities, professional organisations or groups".
The terms of reference for the board list 11 key tasks which include urgent attention to building permanent neurosurgical staffing in Dunedin, which is to have a minimum of three neurosurgeons, two of them with University of Otago academic duties.
Its budget is yet to be released.
