We are now recruiting a Chair and Deputy Chair to lead the work of the Nurses and Allied Health Professionals Council and its committee. The Chair of the NAHP Council sits on the BGS Board as a trustee of the charity.
The BGS is a multidisciplinary Society, welcoming as members all healthcare professionals working with older people. More and more nurses and allied health professionals are joining the BGS and taking an active role in supporting its work. Membership of the Council currently stands at over 1000 NAHPs. The NAHP Council acts as a forum for the engagement and participation of Nurses and AHPs in the Society’s mission to improve healthcare for older people. The BGS values participation from different professions, from the four nations of the UK and from different care settings. These diverse perspectives inform its strategic objectives of improving clinical quality, research, education and training, workforce and policy; and strengthen its community of members.
The NAHP Council committee meets four times a year and leads the work of the Council. It has terms of reference and comprises around 15 people who take specific responsibilities. The Chair plans agendas, coordinating with BGS staff on meeting arrangements, ensuring discussion of current issues affecting Nurses and AHPs within older people’s healthcare, delegating tasks to office-bearers and committee members and overseeing follow-up outputs.
It is an exciting time to take on these leadership roles within the Society, given the importance of MDT working in the delivery of older people’s care and the current political and policy environment. The BGS has the opportunity to influence how the health and care system is configured to meet the needs of older people living with long-term conditions including frailty and dementia. It is vital we have a strong NAHP voice to represent the multidisciplinary workforce. There is considerable potential to contribute to the Society’s influence on NHS and social care policy, and to help shape better services for older people. These roles also provide exposure to leadership and career development opportunities.
Responsibilities of the NAHP Council Chair
- Chairing the NAHP Council committee meetings (four meetings a year).
- Serving as a charity Trustee on the BGS Board of Trustees (four meetings a year). This involves working with the President, BGS office bearers, other trustees and the BGS staff to guide the strategic direction of the Society and provide governance.
- Developing and delivering an annual workplan with the NAHP Committee in line with BGS strategic priorities.
- Providing input to the national BGS Spring and Autumn Meetings, including educational sessions and NAHP networking meetings; ensuring that the programmes for all BGS meetings have good MDT representation throughout.
- Encouraging Nurses and AHPs to join the BGS and to be proactive members, through individual and group membership across the four countries of the UK.
- Maintaining regular communications with Nurses and AHPs in the BGS with the assistance of other members of the NAHP Council and BGS staff, through e-bulletins, emails and via the BGS website; and reporting on NAHP activities, projects and plans to the Board.
- Supporting Nurses and AHPs to be active members of the BGS through peer support, communities of practice, and encouragement to take on roles at local, regional and national level.
- Representing the NAHP Council in stakeholder meetings as requested by senior BGS officers.
- Promoting the essential role of nurses and AHPs in delivering high-quality care to older people, and acting as an ambassador to promote the BGS.
Representation at meetings
Charing the BGS NAHP Council Committee (4 x per year); attending the BGS Board of Trustees (4 x per year); attending BGS conferences (2 x per year).
Time Commitment: approximately two to three hours a week, spread unevenly.
Responsibilities of the NAHP Council Deputy Chair
- Supporting the Chair to deliver the NAHP Council aims.
- Managing specific projects, as agreed with the NAHP Council Chair
- Deputising for the Chair as required
- Acting as an ambassador and promoting the work of the NAHP Council and the BGS
Representation at meetings
Attending the BGS NAHP Council Committee (4 x per year) and BGS conferences (2 x per year).
Time Commitment: one to two hours a week, spread unevenly.
HOW TO APPLY for either post
Self-nominations, in the form of a covering email and a short 250-word statement on how you would approach the role and your suitability for the position should be sent to Mark Stewart at M.Stewart@bgs.org.uk by 30 June 2026 (midnight).
If you would like to learn more about the roles, do take up the offer of an informal discussion ahead of application with Lyndsey Dunn (current Chair) or Susanne Arnold (current Deputy Chair). Please contact Joanna Gough to arrange this j.gough@bgs.org.uk.
In the event that more than one candidate comes forward for either post, an election will be held in July/August 2026, with votes cast by members of the BGS Nurses and Allied Health Professionals Council.
The successful candidates will take up their roles at the BGS AGM on 6 November 2026. The appointments will be for two years. The roles are unpaid. Reasonable expenses for travel will be reimbursed in accordance with BGS policy.
