Call for NHS governors to help shape future of health services in Northumberland

Alan Richardson, chair of Northumbria Healthcare. Picture by Simon Williams.

People in Northumberland and North Tyneside are being encouraged to get involved in the NHS in their area by becoming a public governor.

Public governors play a key role in shaping the future of services and represent the views of local people to the trust.

Duties include holding non-executive directors to account for the performance of the board, reviewing the annual accounts/report and representing the interests of the public in governance meetings.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has 22 vacancies and the deadline for nominations is 5pm on Wednesday, July 29.

There are four vacancies in the Berwick constituency, four in Blyth Valley, five in Hexham, three in North West Tyneside, three in Wansbeck, two in Wallsend and one in North Shields.

Alan Richardson, chairman of Northumbria Healthcare, said: “Our public governors play a hugely important role in our trust and are the heartbeat of our local NHS.

“They help us to shape our priorities and develop health services in hospitals and the community.

“They are the voice of local people and build links with the many communities we serve across Northumberland and North Tyneside.

“If you have an interest in your local NHS, we’d urge you to get involved and make a difference.

“If you’d like to have a chat about the role of public governors, please do not hesitate to give our foundation team a call on 0191 203 1296.”

The call for Governors comes as the NHS experiences once of its most tumultuous times since its creation as teams continue to deal with the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

To request a nomination form, contact the trust’s independent electoral services provider Civica Election Services (CES) Ltd on 0208 88 99 203, [email protected] or apply online www.cesvotes.com/NHFT2020

To be in the running to be a public governor, people must be a member of the trust – complete the online farm at www.northumbria.nhs.uk/get-involved/join-our-our-foundation-trust Alan Richardson, chairman of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

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