Influence hospital and community NHS services in your area!

Posted on: Tuesday 17 Oct 2017

Members of the public in North Yorkshire and beyond are being asked to help shape the future of their local NHS by becoming a Governor.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is holding an election to the Council of Governors with vacancies for Governors to represent the interests of the people residing in:

  • Harrogate and surrounding villages (one seat)
  • Ripon and west district (one seat)
  • The Rest of North Yorkshire and York (one seat)
  • Wetherby and Harewood (one seat)
  • The Rest of England (one seat)

Staff Governor seats are also available:

  • Nursing and Midwifery (one seat)
  • Non-Clinical (one seat)

The Rest of England comprises everywhere outside of North Yorkshire and parts of north Leeds (which are covered by other existing constituencies). Since 1 April 2016, the Trust has provided children’s services in Middlesbrough, County Durham and Darlington and increasingly have people using many of our services from outside of North Yorkshire and North Leeds.

Sandra Dodson, Trust Chairman and Chair of the Council of Governors, said: “Our Governors are an integral part of the Trust and ensure that we are accountable to the total community we serve. The Council of Governors have key responsibilities such as the appointment of the Non-Executive Directors on the Board of Directors, the appointment of the Trust’s external auditor and development of an active membership.  There are opportunities to work on specific projects and to represent the Trust locally, regionally and nationally.

“At the Trust, we are extremely lucky to have an active and engaged Council of Governors who lead the way on initiatives like our award winning Education Liaison programme. Now we are looking for people to join our Council of Governors and help to shape the Trust as we move forward delivering a wide range of services both within the hospital and the community local to where you live.”

In order to stand or vote in the elections, you have to be a member of the Foundation Trust. It is free to join and an application form is available on the Trust’s website at www.hdft.nhs.uk or available from the Foundation Trust Office on 01423 554489 or [email protected]

If you are interested in finding out more about being a Governor, please contact the Foundation Trust Office on 01423 554489 or via email to Angie Colvin, Corporate Affairs and Membership Manager at [email protected]  You can also find helpful information and details on how to stand for election on our website by using the following link: https://www.hdft.nhs.uk/about/council-of-governors/governor-elections/

The deadline for election nominations is Tuesday 24 October 2017.

The Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust Council of Governors Election Portal 2017 has been designed so that you can participate in the election. You can:

  • View the Election Timetable
  • Download useful documents
  • Find answers to some frequently asked questions
  • View the results (once the election closes).

Use this link to complete an online nomination form: https://pre.ukevote.uk/hdft