What initially motivated you to become a governor?

I joined the Trust’s membership having attended the hospital for a procedure many years ago. I received the information about becoming a Governor through the post. I had previously worked on the periphery of the NHS conducting clinical trial audits and training in Good Clinical Practice and having recently retired as a Director of the Institute of Clinical Research, I was looking for something I could do to occupy my time! I went to the website for further information to discover how to register my interest and completed the paperwork! I thought that my audit background would be of use in the role.

How long have you been a governor?

I am in my 2nd term and 4th year as a governor.

What life experiences have you had that were relevant to the governor role?

I have been a patient at the hospitals for more than 30 years having given birth to my son in the Kendrick Wing at Warrington Hospital, which used to be maternity. So, I feel I have an affinity with the hospital. Having audited many hospitals I thought that my experience would equip me to conduct observation and place visits.

Have to say there is a whole new world of acronyms to get your head around which took a while to get used to, but I felt the information in the governor’s handbook was invaluable and being able to contact the lead governor with questions was also useful. I became a governor during Covid so the first couple of years were slightly different to the norm, there were no observation visits and meetings were conducted via Microsoft Teams.

What do you think is the most important role a governor plays?

I guess it is fulfilling the statutory requirement of holding the non-executive directors (NEDS) to account for the performance of the Board of Directors by observing committees and gaining assurance that things are conducted in an appropriate manner. Secondly by engaging with the membership to represent the interest of members and of the public.

Do you have any examples of any impact you feel you/your Council of Governors (CoG) have made?

There have been several changes brought about by CoG. I am particularly proud of the “Being a governor” handbook which we helped to produce. The book gives clear instruction to new governors and is a source of useful information for members wanting to find out more about the role of governors at WHH. We were able to promote the handbook at a stand at the NHS Providers meeting in London and we generated a great deal of interest from Governor colleges nationally. In fact, our stand - was by far - the busiest at the event. We now have a clear membership strategy and proposition … When members ask what’s in it for me, we can now explain how they can help shape the services by becoming experts by experience or joining focus groups.

What do you enjoy most about being a governor?

Attending events such as Disability Awareness Day (DAD) and Mela. I love talking to people, conducing discussion and collecting the information to produce word clouds on what is most important to patients. I think knowing where to direct people to help them is also very satisfying.

What changes in healthcare that you see locally or nationally that excite you?

It is an interesting time of change for the NHS, with the transition towards more collaborative work through Integrated Care Systems (ICS) led by Integrated Care Boards (ICB) . By embracing collaboration, we have the potential to reduce duplication of efforts and streamline processes and services, ultimately benefiting the patients in the long term.

Locally the fact that we are finding ways to deliver services within the community is exciting. We are working to achieve our mission to be OUTSTANDING for our patients, our communities and each other.