Becoming a Trust Governor

What is a Governor?

Our governors have an important role to play. They‘re an ambassador for our trust and responsible for representing the interests of the Trust’s members, the public and partner organisations. They also help us to continuously improve the quality of our services and provide high standards of care.
In our Trust we’ve a range of public, staff and appointed governors.

Public Governors

Our public governors are usually elected for an initial three-year term and are appointed to represent specific constituencies across our Trust area.

Staff Governors

Staff membership is open to staff who are on a permanent or temporary contract for at least 12
months. There are three staff governor areas: Corporate Directorates, Durham, Tees Valley and
Forensics Care Group and North Yorkshire and York Care Group.

Appointed Governors

We’ve also appointed governors from stakeholder organisations such as local authorities and
educational establishments.

Duties

Our governors perform a range of statutory and non-statutory duties. This includes, but is not
limited to:

• The appointment of the Chair and non-executive directors of the trust
• To determine the remuneration of the Chair and non-executive directors
• The appointment of the trust’s auditor
• To approve or not approve the appointment of the trust’s chief executive
• To receive the annual report and accounts and auditor’s report at a general meeting
• To hold the non-executive directors to account for the performance of the board
• To represent the interests of members and the public
• To approve or not approve increases to non-NHS income of more than 5% of total income
• To approve or not approve acquisitions, mergers, separations and dissolutions
• To jointly approve changes to the trust’s constitution with the board
• To express a view on the board’s plans for the trust
• To consider a report from the board of directors each year on the use of income from the
• provision of goods and services from sources other than the NHS in England.
• Attend a minimum of two Council of Governors’ meetings per year, the Annual General
• Members meeting (AGM) and other optional meetings
• Complete statutory, mandatory training and development sessions to support them in the
• delivery of their role

What governors don’t do

Governors aren’t responsible for the operational decisions or the managing of staff. They can’t
represent their own interests, nor can they deal with complaints or act as an advocate for people.

Time commitments

The amount of time spent on governor related activities will vary depending on their personal
circumstances.
In addition to statutory duties, our governors also get involved in local events, open days, ward and department visits and much more.

Payment

Governor roles are voluntary, but travel expenses and other reasonable expenses can be reimbursed with prior agreement.

Who can become a Governor

To become a Trust Governor you must be a Trust member.

You don’t need any special qualifications or skills to be a governor.
You can stand for election as a public governor to the Council of Governors if you’re a member of our Trust and are at least 16 years old. However, you can only stand for election by the constituency in which you’re a member.

What do I gain from being a Governor

There are many great things to gain from becoming a Trust governor. You’ll get to:

• Meet new people and develop new friendships
• Learn new skills
• Learn and understand more about NHS services and health and wellbeing
• Help to make our Trust better by providing important input and feedback from local people

Our commitment to you

We’ll make sure you have all the information, advice and support to do your role well. This includes access to a governor development programme and other relevant training. The Corporate Affairs team also provides advice, guidance and support as needed.

Governor Elections

The Trust holds annual governor elections. Details are shared with Trust members and on our website and communication channels. Anyone interested in nominating themselves will be asked to submit a short statement declaring why they wish to be a governor. Members will then have the chance to vote for candidates.