Members of the public are invited to help shape the future of Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust

Members of our community are being invited to put their names forward in Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust’s upcoming governor elections.

Taking place in February / March this year, the nominations open on the 14 February and the Trust has vacancies for 12 public governors:

• Four for Mansfield
• two for Ashfield
• four for Newark
• two for Rest of East Midlands.

Governors have a key role to play to help the Trust achieve its ambitions, and we are looking for people who are dedicated to helping deliver our vision to provide healthier communities and outstanding care to all.

To hear about becoming a Governor, watch some of our current Governors talk about why they joined the Trust click here.

Sue Holmes, Lead Governor and Public Governor for Ashfield says: “The role of a governor is extremely rewarding as it enables me to represent you and put forward your views to shape the future of the services offered by our Trust. It is a great networking opportunity and provides me with the chance to meet people from all over our community, sharing thoughts and ideas. It’s so satisfying to know that as a member of the council of governors I’ve helped to get the Trust to where it is today as one of the best Trusts to work for in the Midlands, and winner of the HSJ Trust of the Year 2020.”

Governors are elected by the members of the Trust. They represent our members’ and the public’s interests, and have a statutory duty to hold the Non-Executive Directors to account for the performance of the Trust Board. They bring valuable perspectives and ensure the Trust is publicly accountable for the services it provides.

The role of a Governor is a voluntary position. Therefore successful candidates will not be paid, but they will receive expenses for travel to meetings.

Ian Holden, Public Governor for Newark and Sherwood said: “To be a governor at Sherwood Forest Hospitals is a huge opportunity and a privilege and to make best use of it you need to be genuinely committed to helping to improve the health service in your community. You must be prepared to ask questions when you don't understand things, and you must be ready to challenge when required. If you can do that then you can make a real contribution to the way the Trust works in what are going to continue to be challenging times. In my time as governor I have seen us become one of the best Trusts to work for in the Midlands and winner of the HSJ Trust of the year 2020, which is something I am extremely honoured to have been a part of.”

Governors should attend four Council of Governor meetings a year as well as the Annual General Meeting. There are also regular events and briefings they participate in such as Meet Your Governor events and community events, they may also be invited to join the Governor Membership and Engagement committee and the Governor Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

Chief Executive, Paul Robinson, said: “It’s an exciting time to be joining Sherwood and we have much to be proud of, we were rated the Third Best Hospital Trust in the NHS in the 2020 staff survey results, and we were the HSJ Trust of the Year in 2020.

“In 2021 we launched our Climate Action Group to help us achieve our vision of becoming a sustainable Trust and we were one of eight NHS organisations to declare a climate emergency. We welcome nominations from members of the Trust who are forward-thinking and passionate about helping us achieve our plans for the future.”    

Interested? Here’s what to do…

To become a Governor, candidates must first be a member of the Trust. They can do this by signing up online or emailing sfh-tr.membership@nhs.net.

Nominations are open from Monday 14 February, and from this date interested parties can put their names forward as a Governor by using one of the following methods:

• Visit https://hub.ukevote.uk/sfhgovernors to download the nomination form or fill it in online
• Phone UK Engage on 0345 209 3770
• Email sfhgovernors@uk-engage.org
• Write to: UK Engage, Image House, 10 Acorn Business Park, Heaton Lane, Stockport SK4 1AS. 

Election timetable

Publication of Notice of Election	Monday 14 February 2022
Deadline for receipt of Nominations	Wednesday 2 March 2022
Publication of Statement of Nominations	Thursday 3 March 2022
Deadline for candidates withdrawal	Monday 7 March 2022
Notice of Poll/issue ballot packs	Thursday 17 March 2022
Close of Poll – 5pm	Monday 11 April 2022
Declaration of result	Tuesday 12 April 2022