GOVERNOR
AWARENESS
PACK
Your guide to becoming a
Foundation Trust Governor
/ Quality, recovery and
wellbeing at the heart
of everything we do
GOVERNOR AWARENESS PACK

Further information about this document:

Document name / Governor Awareness Pack 2015
Document summary / This document outlines the information you need to know if you wish to become a Governor at Mersey Care
Author(s)
Contact(s) for further information about this document / Andy Meadows
Trust Secretary
Telephone: 0151 471 2387
Email:
Published by
Copies of this document are available from the author(s) and via the trust website / Mersey Care NHS Trust
V7 Building
Kings Business Park
Prescot
Merseyside
L34 1PJ
Trust website
This document can be made available in a range of alternative formats including
various languages, large print and braille etc
Copyright © Mersey Care NHS Trust, 2015. All Rights Reserved

Version Control:

Version History:
1 / New document / December 2015

Contents

Page
Introduction / 2
What is an NHS foundation trust? / 2
Membership / 4
The council of governors / 5
Who can be a governor? / 6
Who is on the council of governors? / 8
How do I get elected? / 9
How much time will I need to give? / 9
Will I be paid? / 10
How long will I serve for? / 10
Why we want you to became a governor / 10
How can I find out more information? / 11

Introduction

Thank you for your interest in becoming a foundation trust governor at Mersey Care.

This pack briefly explains what an NHS foundation trust is and how a governor can represent the interests of members and the public.

If you need more information or would like to talk to somebody about becoming a governor, please contact us by phone on 0151 473 2778 or via email at

What is an NHS foundation trust?

NHS foundation trusts were first set up in 2004 as part of the Government’s drive to make sure NHS organisations:

  • make more local decisions
  • have more financial freedom
  • are more accountable to local people for the services they provide.

NHS foundation trusts are different from NHS trusts because they:

  • are not directed by Government so have greater freedom to decide, with their governors and members, their own strategy and the way services are run
  • can retain their surpluses and borrow to invest in new and improved services for patients and service users
  • are accountable to local communities through their members and governors and therefore can be more responsive to their needs and wishes.

NHS foundation trusts are also accountable to:

  • their commissioners (the people who buy their services) through contracts
  • Parliament (each foundation trust must lay its annual report and accounts before Parliament)
  • the Care Quality Commission (through the legal requirement to register and meet the associated standards for the quality of care provided)
  • Monitor – the regulator for NHS foundation trusts - through the NHS provider licence.

At present Mersey Care is an NHS Trust, however we are currently being assessed by Monitor as part of an application process to become an NHS foundation trust.

We should know the outcome of this assessment process in March 2016, which hopefully means we will become an NHS foundation trust from 1 April 2016.

However as part of this process we also need to hold elections for a council of governors, which is why we are asking people to nominate themselves for election as a governor.

Membership

All NHS foundation trusts are required to have a membership and we have been recruiting to our membership for the last few years. At present we have over 12,000 members and it is important that our membership is representative of the communities we serve.

You can be a member of our Trust if you are at least 14 years old and:

  • live in the North West of England, West Midlands or Wales

or

  • have used any of our services,or have cared for someone who has used our services in the last three years (regardless of where you live)

or

  • are employed by the Trust under a contract of employment, either permanently or on a fixed term / continuously for at least 12 months

or

  • exercise functions continuously on behalf of Mersey Care for at least 12 months but are not employed by Mersey Care under a contract of employment.

If you are not sure whether you are eligible to be a member, please call us on 0151 471 2303 or email us at .

The council of governors

The role of the council of governorsis set out in the NHS Act 2006 and as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012. It includes:

  • appointing and, if appropriate, removing the Trust chairman and other non-executive directors
  • deciding the remuneration and allowances and other terms and conditions of office of the chairman and the other non-executive directors
  • approving (or not) any new appointment of a chief executive
  • appointing and, if appropriate, removing the Trust’s auditor
  • receiving the Trust’s annual accounts, any report of the auditor on them and the annual report, at a general meeting of the council of governors
  • providing views on the Trust’s forward plan
  • holding the non-executive directors, individually and collectively, to account for the performance of the board of directors
  • representing the interests of the members of the Trust as a whole and the interests of the public
  • approving significant transactions
  • approving an application by the Trust to enter into a merger, acquisition, separation or dissolution
  • deciding whether the Trust’s non-NHS work would significantly interfere with its principal purpose, which is to provide goods and services for the health service in England, or performing its other functions
  • approving amendments to the Trust’s constitution.

Who can be a governor?

You can stand for election to the council of governors if you are a member of our Trust and are at least 16 years old.

You can only stand for election in the constituency in which you are a member. For example, if you are a carer member you cannot put yourself forward for election as a public governor.

We also ask our partner organisations to put forward representatives to sit on our council of governors; so you can be an appointed governor if your organisation asks you to be its representative.

There are a small number of people who can be a member but not a governor. These include people who:

  • are governors of other NHS foundation trusts
  • have been convicted of an offence (or equivalent sections of the Mental Health Act) within the last five years leading to imprisonment of three months or more
  • have been declared bankrupt.

If you are not sure if you are eligible to be a governor, please ask us. Contact details are at the back of this pack.

Nominations for our first elections run from 23 December 2015 to 25 January 2016.

As an elected or appointed governor you will be expected to act in accordance with:

  • the Nolan principles of public life

  1. Selflessness - holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.
  2. Integrity- holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.
  3. Objectivity- holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.
  4. Accountability- holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.
  5. Openness - holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.
  6. Honesty - holders of public office should be truthful.
  7. Leadership - holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

  • as well as the Trust’s own values, expressed in our Staff Charterdeveloped in conjunction between staff, services users and carers

  • Continuous improvement–to continuously improve the quality of mental health and learning disability services.
  • Accountability –taking ownership for the delivery of best quality care services.
  • Respect–a culture focused on person-centred care, free from discrimination and harassment.
  • Enthusiasm–to take pride in our work and to make a difference.

Who is on the council of governors?

The council of governors is made up of a number of elected and appointed governors and is chaired by the Trust’s Chairman. The council has 29 governors, each representing a constituency or group:

How do I get elected?

Now we are looking to set up our first council of governors we have written to all members to ask if they would like to stand as a governor.

If you would like to stand as a governor, you need to complete a simple form which includes a short statement saying why you want to do so. You may also want to include a photograph of yourself. You will not be required to campaign or attend election events.

If you need help to fill in the form, or would like it in a different format such as large print or easy read, please email us at

How much time will I need to give?

The council of governors will meet at least three times a year. In addition to this there will be a programme of engagement sessions, training and visits to services.

The times, dates and venues of our council of governors' meetings will be agreed in advance to try to make sure that as many governors as possible can attend.

The council of governors is also expected to set up committees to look at various issues, eg.membership. If you have a special interest, you may want to get involved in one or more of these committees.

Finally we would also expect you to hold ‘governors’ surgeries’, to engage with our members.

Will I be paid?

Governors are volunteers so are not paid, but we will make sure you are reimbursed any travel expenses and other reasonable costs, by agreement.

How long will I serve for?

As this is our first council of governors, some will be elected for a two year term and some governors for a three year term (determined by who has the most votes for each constituency). You are also eligible to seek election for more than one term of office.

Governors may resign at any time, or may be removed by resolution of the council of governors if they are no longer eligible, have a poor attendance record or are not able to attend training and awareness sessions (without good reason) and in certain other circumstances.

Why we want you to become a governor

By becoming a governor, you will help us to:

  • understand and respond to the views of our service users, carers, staff, partner organisations and members of the public
  • shape how the Trust develops to meet future local need
  • tackle the stigma associated with mental illness and disabilities
  • recruit more members to help make our membership representative of the people we serve.

How can I find out more information?

Mersey Care is running a series of ‘Governor Awareness Sessions’, the details of which are on our website at

Mersey Care has asked Electoral Reform Services to manage the nomination process and elections. For information about the nomination and electoral process, and for copies of this governor awareness pack and the nomination form, you can:

  • download copies from our website at
  • email
  • phone Electoral Reform Services on 0208 889 9203.

For queries about membership of Mersey Care, or to become a member, you can contact Mersey Care by:

  • email
  • phone 0151 471 2303.

Alternatively register to become a member online at

For all other queriesabout Mersey Care becoming a foundation trust you can:

  • go to the Trust’s website at
  • email
  • phone 0151 473 2778.

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