Our Council of Governors

The role of the Council of Governors is to gain assurance on behalf of the Membership and the public, with regard to the organisations performance, with a particular focus on service quality. The role and responsibilities of the Council of Governors, as defined by The Health and Social Care Act 2012 and the preceding 2006 Act include:

• Governors will represent the interests of members and the public
• Governors will have express statutory duties to hold Non Executive Directors individually and collectively to account
• Governors can require Directors to attend a Council meeting to obtain information on performance of the Trust
• Significant transactions will have to be signed off by 50% Governors voting
• Mergers/Acquisitions/Dissolutions will need the support of over 50% of all Governors
• Governors will express a view on the Board of Directors' forward plans
• Governors will approve the appointment of the Chief Executive
• Governors will appoint and remove Trust Auditors
• Governors will receive and approve the Trust's Annual Reports/Accounts
• Governors will appoint, remove and decide the terms of office and remuneration of the Chair and the Non Executive Directors.

It is important to emphasise that the role of Governors is fundamentally different from that of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is responsible for the direct running of the Trust and for the strategic leadership of the whole organisation; assuring high quality performance and delivery of all services.

Governors are not directly involved in:

• operational management
• individual specific patient or staff issues
• handling complaints
• confidential patient issues

Council of Governors Meetings

The Council of Governors meets on a quarterly basis at various sites across the Trust. Meetings are open for members of the public and staff to observe.

Find out when the next meeting is