Nominations close on Friday 9 August for new public and staff governors to join the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) Council of Governors.
There are vacancies across the Trust's public constituencies including Barrow and West Cumbria, Lancashire and North Yorkshire, South Lakeland and North Cumbria, and the rest of England.
UHMBT manages acute and community services, including Maternity, Stroke, and A&E services at Furness General Hospital (FGH) in Barrow, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI) and Westmorland General Hospital (WGH) in Kendal.
It also runs community services, which means there are lots of opportunities to get involved and help shape the future direction of the Trust.
Governors attend regular council meetings with members of the Board of Directors and can get involved in committee meetings and activities such as appointing non-executive directors and attending events like the recent opening of the new Oncology and Haematology Unit at the RLI, the opening of our new Urology Unit at the RLI, and getting involved in the plans for the building of a replacement hospital in Lancaster as part of the New Hospitals Programme.
The role description includes:
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Hold the non-executive directors to account for the performance of the Board of Directors
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Appoint, remove and decide the terms of office, including remuneration, of the chairman and other non-executive directors
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Appoint or remove the Trust’s external auditors
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Review the annual accounts, auditor’s report and annual report
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Express a view on the Board of Directors’ forward plans
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Represent the interests of the members of the Trust as a whole.
Mike Thomas, Chair, UHMBT, said: “Governors have an important role to play in helping to shape and monitor our Trust’s services.
“They help to inform our constituents about what is happening in the Trust, and informing Trust management about what the public thinks about our services, plans and initiatives. They are appointed to represent the interests and views of our members and of the public.
“Governors bring valuable insights and experiences to our services and ensure that the NHS is accountable to our local population.”
Assistance to complete your nomination form is available from the Returning Officer by email at uhmb@uk-engage.org
The deadline for submission of completed nomination forms is Friday 9 August 2024.
The Trust will hold its Annual Members’ Meeting on Monday 16 September at 2pm in the Education Centre at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary. All members of the Trust are welcome to attend. To join, you can become a member at the following link: Welcome to UHMBT | UHMBT Member Portal (trustcrm.co.uk).