Hospital Governance

The Royal Hospital Donnybrook (RHD) was founded in 1743 and is one of the oldest charities in Ireland. It received its Royal Charter in 1800 and is consequently a charter corporation. The Bye Laws of the RHD can only be changed by decision of the Governors with the consent of the Oireachtas.

The Governors of the RHD are drawn from the local community. At AGMs, the Governors receive the annual report and accounts and elect the Board of Management.

The Bye Laws permit the Governors to elect up to 25 persons to the Board of Management. However, in line with current best practice, the Board has been reduced in recent years. Today, there are 11 members elected by the Governors and two members nominated by Dublin City Council. The Board meets not less than five times per year. There is a written statement of the Reserved Powers of the Board. All elected members of the Board are volunteers and do not receive any fees or expenses for attending Board meetings or undertaking other work on behalf of the RHD.

There hospital has a comprehensive governance committee structure which includes the following Board committees:

  • Executive Committee
  • Nominations & Governance Committee
  • Audit Committee
  • Clinical Governance Committee
  • Remuneration Committee

There are written Terms of Reference for each of these committees.

The attendance record of the Board Members at Board meetings and committee meetings are provided in annual reports - see our publications section. 

The Board of Management regularly conducts a self-evaluation. External consultants conducted a full evaluation of the Board plus its Chairman and Committees in early 2019. Click here to read report of that evaluation

The RHD has a Code of Governance Manual a copy of which is given to all new members of the Board and Committees as part of their induction programme. All staff and Board Members are required to sign the Code of Conduct on appointment.

The RHD derives most of its income from the Health Service Executive with which it has an annual Service Arrangement. Employees of the hospital are subject to public pay policy guidelines and regulations. The RHD complies with such guidelines and regulations. The hospital formally confirms this compliance on an annual basis.