Members’ council

Our members’ council is made up of elected representatives of members, including staff, and also nominated members from key local partner organisations.

If you are currently a member or would like to become one, further information on membership can be found here.

The role of the members’ council is to make sure the board of directors, who are responsible for the day-to-day running of the Trust, are accountable to our local communities. The council’s role includes:

  • Guardianship – making sure we comply with the terms of our authorisation.
  • Advisory – acting as a channel for getting information to and from members and the community.
  • Strategic – advising on the future strategic direction of the Trust and providing stakeholder input.
  • Public and staff places on the members’ council are filled by an election process where members and staff vote for their preferred representative. All elections are by secret ballot and an independent organisation is used to run and validate the elections.

People elected to the members’ council are appointed for a term of three years, although some appointments are for less than this. This means that there are regular elections to the members’ council providing local people with the opportunity to elect new council members or re-elect existing ones.

Although there are no restrictions on membership, there are some restrictions that apply to the members’ council and are set out in the Trust’s constitution. People are not eligible for election if they:

  • Have been declared bankrupt
  • Have received a prison sentence of three months or more in the past five years
  • Are a director or Council Member of another NHS organisation
  • Are a member of a local authority overview and scrutiny committee covering health matters
  • Are subject to a sex offender order
  • Have been dismissed from any paid employment with an NHS organisation within the previous two years#

They also oversee the running of the Trust and help us shape future strategy as well as play a role in issues such as communications, diversity and involvement.

Please watch the video below to hear more about being a governor on the Trusts Members’ Council:

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