May 2011 | issue 12
Members’ magazine
Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
3-18 MAY
Become a Governor and Voting in the Governor Elections
Election Special
Page 1
Election Special
We will soon be starting our 2011 elections for 10 seats on our Council of Governors. This booklet tells you everything you need to know about the elections, what Governors do and how to put yourself forward as a candidate or vote for another member. The previous round of elections has been completed with the following candidates being appointed Governors from 1 April 2011: Constituency
Picture
Successful Governor
Public: Bolton
William Gallagher
Public: Trafford
Sylvia Seddon
Service Users and Carers: Users of Mental Health Services
Anne Broadhurst
Service Users and Carers: Users of Mental Health Services
Margaret Willis
Service Users and Carers: Users of Substance Misuse Services
PHOTO NOT RECEIVED
Joanne Wilson
Staff: Nursing
Jennifer Carlisle
Staff: Medical
Fareed Bashir
Page 2
The Council of Governors
Why do we have a Council of Governors? Greater Manchester West Mental Health Foundation Trust (GMW) was awarded Foundation Trust status in February 2008. Foundation Trusts give local people a bigger say in: • health services in their area • how money is spent on healthcare. A Foundation Trust is made up of members including local people, patients and staff. Members then choose Governors to represent them. When seats are vacant or due for re-election, elections are held for all public, carer, patients and staff members and any member of the Foundation Trust can nominate themselves as a candidate for election. All members then vote for those candidates in the area they live (public members), their patient group (service user or carer members), or for their staff group (staff members).
Page 3
How many people are on the Council of Governors? GMW’s Council of Governors has 37 Governors including staff Governors, service user Governors, carer Governors, public Governors and appointed Governors from partner organisations. The elected Governors stand for a two or three year period. • 11 public Governors (who are elected by public members)
• 9 staff Governors (who are elected by staff members)
• 8 service user and carer Governors (who are elected by service user and carer members) • 9 partner Governors from places like Councils and Primary Care Trusts (who are appointed by their organisation) All working together for our members, our services and our communities.
What do Governors do? Governors must: • speak up for members of the Foundation Trust • tell members what the Foundation Trust is doing • abide by the Trust’s rules Governors must also make sure the Board of Directors do their job properly by: • looking at reports on the Trust’s finances • looking at reports on how the Trust is working • checking what Directors are doing and whether they are doing it well. Governors also need to talk to the public and members, encourage people to join as members and find out what people think. Governors also attend Council of Governors meetings, appoint key figures such as the Council of Governors Chairperson and Non-Executive Directors and act as representatives of the Trust. Page 4
Which seats are up for election in 2011? The following seats are available: Public Constituency Bolton: one seat Salford: three seats Other North West England: one seat Service User and Carer Constituency Users of mental health services: two seats Staff Constituency Social Care: one seat Non Clinical: one seat Health Care Clinical – Allied Health Professional: one seat If you are a member in any of the constituencies with seats available you can nominate yourself as a candidate for election.
Key dates for diaries: 3rd May 2011 - Nomination process starts 18th May 2011 - Closing date for nominations 8th June 2011 - Voting packs posted to GMW members 28th June 2011 - Closing date for election 12th July 2011 - Election results announced 12th July 2011 - Governors take up new post Page 5
It could be you
Greater Manch ester Mental Healt h NHS
Do you want to do something worthwhile? Would you like to give something back to your community or represent your colleagues? Are you looking for a role that’s a bit different, where you will face new and challenging situations? Perhaps you are in interested in mental health, carers, patient care or developing NHS services? Or maybe you want to be in a vital role supporting Foundation Trust members? Then a Governor role with Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust could be for you.
It could be yo u
Do you want to do somethi ng worthwhile? Wou something bac ld you like to give k to your com munity by representin g their views? Perhaps you are interested in mental health, care developing NHS rs, patient care or services? Then a Governo r role with Gre ater Manchester Wes t Foundation Trus Mental Health NHS t could be for you. We are currently holding our 2011 elections for seat s on our Council Governors. of
West
Foundation Trust
“I am a mum. I care for my son who has severe mental health problems. I am a Governor.” Anne, Car er Govern or
For more info rmation, and to read Anne’s story, visit: www.gm w.nhs.uk
One of the many benefi ts of being a member is the opportunity to make a real impact by becoming a Governor. Learning about the Trust and how it works, and representing the views and opinions of the people who vote for you; either members of the public, other service users or carers, or members of staff depending on which constituency (category) you come under. There’s also the opportunity to take part in training, attend events and meet people from all walks of life.
Make a difference Of course, there are other ways for you to get involved with our Trust. We hope as many members as possible will vote and have their say in the Governor elections. Once the votes are in and accepted, the results will be published on our website where there will also be more information on the new Governors. Page 6
What to do if I want to put myself forward All members who are in the constituencies with seats up for election will receive a nomination form in the post, inviting you to put yourself forward as a candidate for election. All staff members who are in the constituencies with seats up for the election will receive a notice of election by email, inviting you to request and complete a nomination form if you want to stand for election. The elections are independent and are run on our behalf by an external company, The Electoral Reform Service (ERS). The nomination form must be received by ERS no later than 5pm on Wednesday 18th May 2011. ERS will issue all necessary correspondence to both candidates and members to nominate and vote for Governors. If you want to put yourself forward for election you will need to fill in and return the nomination form to ERS, including 250 words on why you want to become a Governor and attaching a recent photograph. All this is explained on the nomination form and the ‘Election Statement Preparation Instructions’. If there is only one candidate for a seat, that person will automatically become the Governor for that seat - so no election for that seat is needed. If there is more than one candidate for a seat the list of candidates for election will be published and then every member will be sent a voting form to vote for a Governor representing their area. Once voting has ended we will contact all successful and unsuccessful candidates. The successful candidates will then begin their induction.
Page 7
How to find out more If you require any further information or assistance, please contact the Returning Officer, Caroline Hinchcliffe from the Electoral Reform Service, on 020 8889 9203. To request a nomination form, please email: caroline.hinchcliffe@electoralreform.co.uk. If you have any questions, please contact the Communications and Membership Office on 0161 772 3985, or email: ft@gmw.nhs.uk. Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Trust Headquarters, Communications and Membership Office, Bury New Road, Prestwich, Manchester M25 3BL. You can download further copies of this booklet, find more information about our Governor election campaign and download a Governor information pack from www.gmw.nhs.uk.
Page 8