Governor elections 2019

Join the COG - our Council of Governors is the voice of the people we serve, and it helps set our priorities and shape our services, based on our members’ views. We have 15 vacancies for new governors.

Governor elections 2019

Would you like to influence the strategic direction of your local mental, physical and community health services?

Stand to become one of  Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust’s 15 new governors in the 2019 election.

Nominations open on Monday, March 18 and close Tuesday, April 16.

Constituency Class Vacancies
Public Buckinghamshire

 

Oxfordshire

Rest of England and Wales

3

 

3

1

Staff Oxfordshire, BaNES, Swindon & Wiltshire Mental Health Services

 

Buckinghamshire Mental Health Services

Community Services

Specialised Services

1

 

 

1

2

1

Patient Service Users: Buckinghamshire and other counties

 

Carers

1

 

2

What can I do now?

Even before the nominations open you can get prepared.

Make sure you are a member of our foundation trust. Only members can stand as a candidate.

Encourage your friends, family and colleagues to become members. Only members can vote in the governor election.

The cut-off date is April 16. If you sign up after this, you won’t be eligible to vote in this year’s election.

Sign up now

How much time do I need to put in?

The Council of Governors meets four times a year in Thame between 6pm and 8pm.

As a governor you are expected attend these meetings, although we understand it’s sometimes  not possible for everyone to make every meeting.

Agendas are sent to you in advance to enable you to prepare for the meeting and see what is set to be discussed.

Oxford Health also has a Governor Forum, which takes place about two weeks before each Council meeting. The Forum is an opportunity for governors to discuss issues in a more informal setting and plan what to bring to the Council meetings.

We also encourage governors to join at least one governor sub-group. In these you can get a much more in-depth view of various areas of the trust governance. The groups are:

  • Safety and Clinical Effectiveness
  • Patient and Staff Experience
  • Finance
  • Membership Involvement

Sub-groups meet four times a year. They are chaired by a governor, and agenda and papers are sent to you in advance.

Governors are elected for a period of up to three years, but you can resign at any time by writing to the company secretary or chairman of the trust.

Will I be rewarded?

Governorship is an unpaid, voluntary role, but you will receive a reimbursement for travel and other reasonable expenses.

Your real reward is likely to be your sense of contributing to something that matters to you and the community you represent, and getting involved in things that interest you.

Am I qualified to be a governor?

You don’t need any formal qualifications to become a governor – what we need is your experience and interest. Also, you must be 16 or over, live in England or Wales, and be a member of our trust.

However, there are circumstances that will disqualify you from becoming a governor, for instance, if you are already a governor of another NHS trust or a member of Healthwatch.

If you are thinking of standing as a governor, it’s worth checking the criteria in our constitution.

If you are unsure or have any other questions, please email The Membership Team.

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Published: 8 March 2019