SECAmb seeks members of the public to stand for election to Council of Governors

02 January 2013

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) is holding elections for public governors to represent East Sussex, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex on our Council of Governors.

As a Foundation Trust, SECAmb has a Council of Governors which works closely with the Board of Directors to ensure the Trust is accountable to the public it serves.

The vacancies are due to the term of office of several current governors coming to an end, though most are standing for re-election and hope to remain part of the Council.

The Council of Governors is made up of members of the public, SECAmb staff and stakeholders from organisations that work closely with SECAmb, such as the police and other NHS Trusts.

Public governors are elected from among SECAmb’s public Foundation Trust members. The Trust has 5900 public members across the South East Coast area, and public members who are resident in Sussex, Surrey and Kent (excluding Medway and Brighton and Hove) are asked to nominate themselves before 17 January 2013 if they wish to stand for election. Those who are not yet members of the Trust are very welcome to stand but will need to become members first.

Tony Thorne, Chair of the Board and Council, said: “The Council represents the interests of and is accountable to the membership of the Trust. It also has a broader duty to represent the general public in the areas served by the Trust. Governors have the opportunity to participate in a variety of committees and groups if they wish.”

“It performs various statutory duties as well as an important role in holding the Board to account on behalf of members and the public. In the past 12 months our governors have played a key role in the recruitment of two new Non-Executive Directors to the Board, provided input to the development of our annual plan and helped formulate objectives for quality improvements.

“I would encourage anyone who cares about their local ambulance service and can spare one day a month, to become a member as soon as possible, if they’re not already and nominate themselves in this election.”

Governors are not expected to bring in-depth knowledge of healthcare or the ambulance service: they simply need to care about patients and wish to represent the interests of their communities.

Anyone aged 16 or over can become a public member and stand for election, and the Trust welcomes nominations from all sections of the community. The membership form can be filled in online: www.nhs-membership.co.uk/seas or requested from the Membership Office (01273 484821). Governors are not paid, but out of pocket expenses for travel and any other assistance needed to ensure people can fully participate are covered by the Trust.

Members of the public who would like to learn more about the role or request a nomination form should contact Izzy Allen on 07770 685772 or isobel.allen@secamb.nhs.uk or visit the ‘Governors’ section of the Trust’s website: http://www.secamb.nhs.uk/get_involved.aspx