HOSPITAL GOVERNORS

I have just taken over as acting lead Governor at Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust 

Being a Governor is extremely rewarding and we have a number of Governors active in many areas of helping to improve matters.

I always encourage people to  become a member of l Hospital Trusts  and to stand for election as a Governor.

Council of Governors

What is a Governor?

Governors provide an important link between the hospital and the local health community, enabling us to gather views from local people and to feedback what is happening within the Trust.  They reflect your interests and are working on your behalf to improve health services for the future.  By passing on ideas and suggestions you can help them carry out their role effectively. Who are your Governors? Meet your Governors

If you would like to contact your Governor please e-mail council.members@kgh.nhs.uk

The full Council of Governors is made of two groups. The first group is elected by members from their own area. These are called constituencies. The second group will be appointed by key organisations that work closely with the Trust.

What is the Council of Governors?

The Board of Directors (the Trust Board) is accountable to the Council of Governors.  In addition to monitoring the performance of the Trust, the Council has a wider role which includes ensuring that the local community and staff have a greater say in how services are developed and delivered by the NHS Foundation Trust.

What Governors do?

Governors have two roles – statutory duties that they have to carry out and non-statutory duties that are carried out in agreement between the Trust and the Council.

The statutory duties are:

• Selecting and appointing the Chairman and Non Executive Directors
• Approving the appointment of a Chief Executive
• Approving the salary of the Chairman and Non Executive Directors
• Advising the hospital’s Board of Directors on a range of issues
• Attending meetings of the Council
• Appointing the Trust’s External Auditor
• Receiving the annual reports and accounts

The non-statutory duties which we hope to develop will be:

• Participating in Council working groups and contributing to Council activities
• Assessing the patient and visitor experience and helping in the development of improvement programmes
• Understanding the requirements of the Code of Governance of NHS Foundation Trusts published by Monitor (and available to view on the Monitor website at www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk)
• Developing the Membership Strategy and increasing membership
• Publishing a quarterly newsletter distributed to all members
• Discussing the hospital’s future development