The Board of Management of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is appointed by the Government of Barbados to set policy and direct the operations of the institution to provide the best possible tertiary healthcare for the people of Barbados.
The membership of the Board reflects the ideals of wider participation in the governance of the Hospital. To that end, the selection of members the Board is representative of a cross-section of society possessing the expertise, business acumen, professionalism, experience and community links that would contribute to the overall success of the institution.
The Board functions primarily through four main Committees:
- The Ethics Committee,
- the Finance and General Purposes Committee,
- the Human Resources Committee,
- and the Patient Care Committee.
These committees exercise powers as delegated to them by the Board in the pursuance of the assigned roles and responsibilities. The committees are assisted by a number of ad hoc committees including the Tenders Committee, Audit Committee and the recently established Patient Empowerment Committee.
Members of the Board
History of the Board
In 1998, the Government appointed an Advisory Commission of Inquiry into the affairs of the QEH in recognition of the need for the hospital to review its structure and to adequately respond to the various aspects of health care delivery. The Commission’s remit was to review all aspects of the arrangement, function and operations of the QEH and to prepare a charter for the effective demonstration and development of the QEH over a 10-year period.
One of the key recommendations of the Advisory Commission of Inquiry was removing then system of direct control by the Ministry of Health over the management and administration, and replacing that system with a new governance arrangement that rendered the hospital more autonomous and accountable in its daily remit.
The Government of Barbados consequently accepted the Commission’s recommendation that the hospital should be transitioned from a department of Government to an autonomous Statutory Board.
In October 2002, approval was given for the proclamation of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Act 2001-2014, and the constitution of an autonomous Statutory Board to manage the affairs of the hospital.