The Role of a Governor

Mrs Anne Smith, Public Governor - Fylde Constituency

(Lead Governor)

Mr Mark Chapman, Public Governor - Blackpool Constituency

Mrs Claire Lewis, Staff Governor – Community Services

Mrs Lynden Walthew, Public Governor - Wyre Constituency

What is Governance?• Governance is the act of governing.

• Governance is the system by which companies are directed and controlled.

• Governance relates to decisions that define expectations, grant power or verify performance and is the physical exercise of management, power and policy.

• At a corporate level this involves developing

policies on finance, investment, privacy and on the use of data.

Good vs Bad Governance

How an NHS Foundation Trust is governed

Members(includes service users, carers, staff and public)

Council of Governors(elected members, representatives from NHS Trust, local councils, universities and voluntary

organisations)

Board of Directors(Includes the Chairman, six Non-Executive Directors (NEDs), the Chief Executive and seven

Executive Directors. The Executive Directors have the day-to-day responsibility for running the Trust)

Elect representatives to formMajority of the Council of Governors

Consult with and inform members

Receive and be consulted on plans submitted by the Board of Directors

Receive the Annual Accounts, auditor’s report and the Annual Report

Appoint the Chairman, NEDs of the Board of Directors

Approve the appointment of the Trust’s Chief Executive

Appoint or remove the Trust’s auditors

Statutory Powers and Duties of the Council of Governors

• Appoint and, if appropriate, remove the Chairman

• Appoint and, if appropriate, remove the other non-executive directors (NEDs)

• Decide the remuneration, allowances and terms of office of the Chairman and NEDs

• Approve the appointment of the Chief Executive

Continued:-

• Appoint and, if appropriate remove the Trust’s auditors

• Receive the Trust’s Annual Accounts and the auditors report on them

• Receive the Trust’s Annual Report• Also, in preparing the Trust’s forward

strategic direction, the Board of Director’s must have regard to the views of the Council of Governors

What it means to be a Governor?

• Responsible for representing the interests of the Trust’s members

• Hold the Board of Directors collectively to account for the performance of the Trust

• Must act in the best interests of the Trust and adhere to its values and code of conduct

• Responsible for regularly feeding back information about the Trust, its vision and performance to their constituents

Other duties:-• Communicate with members and understand

their views via constituency meetings• Patient liaison regarding patient experience• Provide a governor perspective on Trust

performance, i.e. healthcare standards declaration

• Develop and review the Membership Strategy• Work with other representative bodies, eg

LINks (Local Involvement Networks) and hospital volunteers

• Giving talks to interested stakeholders

How you can become more involved?

• Become a member• Encourage family and friends to become a

member• Stand for election to the Council of

Governors – next elections in July 2013• Become involved with your Trust –

volunteering, health mentors, research and development

Any Questions?