New governors appointed to support hospitals

A new group of governors are to have their say on the services provided at three local hospitals from today, as Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust announced the results of its election to appoint eight public governors and one staff governor.

The election took place between Tuesday 13 June to Thursday 5 July, as thousands of the Trust’s public and staff members were invited to cast their votes to appoint new governors in a total of nine advertised vacancies.

As a result of the elections, five new governors were elected to the Trust’s Rest of East Midlands public constituency, which covers Mansfield, Ashfield and the rest of the East Midlands.

Three further governors were appointed to the Trust’s public constituency for Newark and Sherwood, with one staff governor also being appointed.

They will join the Trust’s current governors in ensuring that the Trust – which runs King’s Mill, Mansfield Community and Newark Hospitals – continues to be one of the best places to work and receive care in the Midlands, according to the most recent National NHS Staff Survey.

More than 1,360 votes were cast by Trust members across the constituencies.

After the polls closed at 5pm on Thursday 6 July, the Trust has confirmed that John Dove, Pam Kirby, Tracy Burton, Steven Hunkin and Dean Wilson have been confirmed as public governors for the Trust’s Rest of East Midlands public constituency.

Three candidates – Peter Gregory, Karen Nadin and Shane O’Neill – were appointed unopposed after the trio applied to become governors for three vacancies in the Trust’s Newark and Sherwood public constituency.

Samantha Musson, the Trust’s Head of Therapy Services, was also elected as staff governor for the Trust after receiving 241 votes from her Sherwood Forest Hospitals colleagues.

Claire Ward, the Chair of Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “Thank you to all the candidates who put their names forward in this election, it was great to see such great engagement from our local community. Thank you also to everyone who took the time to vote, I hope that your new governors will serve you well in the coming years.”

Governors represent the views of the Trust’s members, as well as those of the local community and are responsible for making changes to services provided by the Trust’s three hospital sites based on feedback from these groups.

The Trust’s governors hold regular ‘Meet your governor’ sessions where members of the public can talk to them about any concerns or suggestions they may have.

They are vital in ensuring that the Trust’s services work and are accessible for all and play a key role in supporting the Trust to achieve its goal of healthier communities and outstanding care to all.

Sally Brook Shanahan, Director of Corporate Affairs for the Trust, said: “Our Trust governors are an essential part of the running of our Trust and I’d like to thank all the candidates who expressed an interest in the role. I am delighted to welcome our nine newly-appointed governors and look forward to working with them in the future.”

Governors are elected from the Trust’s membership of over 13,000 public members and over 4,000 staff members.

For the official declaration of result documents, please visit our Governor elections webpage.

Becoming a public member gives you a way to express support for your local hospitals and play an active role in their development.

Joining as a member is simple and can be done online at www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/membership or by emailing sfh-tr.membership@nhs.net to request an application form.