Governors reflect members’ interests and work on their behalf to improve services by providing an important link between our hospitals and the local community; helping us to gather views from local people and feeding back to them what is happening in the trust.
The job will require time and commitment and while no special experience, skills, education or qualifications are required, candidates do need to have an interest in health service policy and keep pace with the key strategic issues facing the trust.
It is not the job of governors to deal with individual personal complaints about the hospital or the care and treatment received and any concerns of this type would be directed to the Patients Advice and Liaison Service in the first instance.
Main responsibilities include:
- Reflecting the interests of members and gathering their views about the services the NHS Foundation Trust provides
- Contributing to the overall future direction of the trust by building good relationships with other governors and partner organisations (appointed governors)
- Working with the Board of Directors to produce the strategic vision and the annual plan of the organisation
- Selecting and appointing the chairman and non-executive directors and approving their salaries
- Attending meetings of the Council of Governors
- Appointing the trust’s external auditors
- Developing the membership strategy; and
- Advising the Board of Directors on a range of issues and developing other programmes of work
Governors will initially serve a term of either two or three years, after which they can be re-elected. All newly-elected governors will be provided with induction training to give you the skills and information required to fulfil the role.