Every NHS Foundation Trust has a Council of Governors who are there to represent the views and opinions of members.

Governors stand for a maximum term of three years and are either elected by members or appointed from our partner organisations (including NHS Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire County Council and Lincolnshire Police).

Governors work in partnership with the Board of Directors (which is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Trust and its strategic development) and agree what needs to be done to meet the needs of the community.

The Council of Governors link the Board of Directors to the membership and community.

What do Governors do?

Governors have a very important role and undertake a range of functions through committees, task groups and workshops. They:

• represent the interests and views of local people and raise member’s concerns
• attend meetings (currently a minimum of 3 per year) and other meetings if necessary
• are ambassadors for the Trust and sometimes go on community visits
• agree the future of the trust by providing views to the Board of Directors – what sort of organisation the Trust will be and what sort of services it will provide
• appoint or remove the chair and other non-executive directors of the Trust and approve the appointment of the chief executive
• scrutinise the Trust’s performance to ensure that agreed plans are carried out properly
• receive annual reports and accounts

There are 36 governors, made up of:

• 8 Public Governors covering: North Kesteven, South Kesteven, East Lindsey, West Lindsey, Borough of Boston, South Holland, City of Lincoln, Outside of Lincolnshire (elected)
• 6 Staff representatives (elected)
• 13 Service User and Carer Governors (elected):
• 3 Adult Mental Health and Social Care
• 2 Young People Services
• 2 Older Adults Mental Health Services
• 2 Primary Care Mental Health Services
• 4 Carers
• 1 Primary Care Trust representative (appointed)
• 1 Practice Based Commissioners representative (appointed)
• 2 Lincolnshire County Council representatives (appointed)
• 1 District Councils representative (appointed)
• 1 University of Lincoln representative (appointed)
• 1 United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust representative (appointed)
• 1 Lincolnshire Police representative (appointed)
• 1 National Offender Management service representative (appointed)

• View the Foundation Trust Board diagram.

The Chairman of the Council of Governors is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

• Read the Trust’s Constitution.

Meet your Governor

The Trust has now confirmed the dates, venues and times of the 2010 ‘Meet your Governor’ sessions. These sessions are an informal way of meeting with Trust Governors over a cup of tea/coffee. Governors are happy to chat to visitors and listen to opinions and feedback as well as answering queries and giving information on the Trust and the role of being a governor.

Representatives from the Trust’s membership office and involvement team will also be on hand to talk about the Trust’s foundation status, the services offered and the benefits of becoming a member and getting involved in a number of opportunities.

There is no need to book a place at these sessions however, if you require more information please call the Membership Office on 01529 222277/76.

These sessions will all run from 11:30am – 1:30pm

• View the calendar of 'Meet your Governor' sessions during 2010.

Annual Public Meeting 2009

• View the presentation slides from the 2009 Annual Public Meeting

Who are our Governors?

Following previous elections, the following are duly elected to serve as Governors:

How do I contact a Governor?

You can contact a Governor to ask a question or raise an issue through getting in touch with the membership office.

If you are interested in standing to become a Governor

Firstly you must be a member of Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.  As a member, you will be able to have a greater influence on how the Trust develops and will receive more information and feedback.  You must also be over 16 years of age.

Governors are not paid, the position is voluntary.  All expenses in connection with attending meetings are paid – such as mileage allowances or public transport costs.

Governors receive help, support and training.  We do ask you to attend one of our Information workshops prior to elections to ensure potential Governors are fully informed about their role and what is expected from them.

A Governor Information Pack is available from the membership office which provides lots of useful information about becoming a Governor of our Foundation Trust.  Please contact the membership office to enquire about Governor Information Workshops - details are available on the elections page.

Council of Governor meetings

The Council of Governors will meet at least three times per year and the agenda, minutes and papers for the meetings will be available here.