Council of Governors

The Council of Governors is a body made up of and elected by Foundation Trust members. It aims to give people who use the hospitals a bigger say in their running.

The Council of Governors holds the Board of Directors to account and seeks to ensure the continued success of the Foundation Trust through effective management, partnership working and maintaining NHS values and principles.

There are 33 Governors in total. 13 represent the public, seven represent patients who have used services at the hospitals, six represent staff at the Trust and there are seven appointed governors representing key organisations we work with.

The Council of Governors meets formally four times a year but their work involves more than that. Individual Governors are involved in Trust committees and working groups and also input into specific projects where their particular expertise or perspective is valuable.

Individual Governors seek the views of members to canvass opinions on significant issues and report back on decisions made.

Other statutory duties of the Council of Governors include:

• Appointing Non-Executive Directors, including the Trust Chairman, via the Council of Governors Nominations and Remuneration Committee.

• Determining the remuneration of the Chair and Non-Executive Directors via the Council of Governors Nominations and Remuneration Committee.

• Approving the appointment or removal of the Trust's auditor.

The Council of Governors provides an opportunity for patients, the public and staff to influence the way their hospitals are run which is what being an NHS Foundation Trust is all about.
 

The Terms of Reference for the Council of Governors are available here

The Terms of Reference for the Council of Governors' Nomination and Remuneration Committee are available here

 
 

Additional Information

What's it like being a member?

Teenager Rebecca Reeves, from Richmond, is a volunteer at the Spinal Injuries Unit at the Northern General Hospital.

She said: “Being a Trust member is very useful; I get to know about the ins and outs of the hospital’s projects and feel well informed about what’s going on in the NHS – I can then feed this information back to my family.”

 

 
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