THOUSANDS of people across Lincolnshire have elected members of the public to the county’s first NHS Foundation Trust Board of Governors.

The results were announced at Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust’s Annual Public Meeting last night (13 September 2007). The full list of those elected and the constituencies that they will represent can be found on our website: http://www.lpt.nhs.uk/templates/Page.aspx?id=582

Foundation Trusts are a new type of organisation – run as independent public benefit corporations similar to mutual organisations such as the Co-op or building societies. The key difference is that NHS Foundation Trusts are run locally. Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust hopes to be officially declared as a Foundation Trust later this year.

Trust Chairman Alison Healey said: “The public – along with our service users, carers and staff – have made sure their voices have been heard and have elected representatives who they feel will be first class champions of mental health services and be able to guide the Trust over the coming years.

“Congratulations to all those people who have been successfully elected to our Foundation Trust Board of Governors. I am sure they will be more than capable representatives of their constituencies and make an active and positive contribution to the future of the Trust.

“Thanks to everyone who stood for election. We have had some very keenly contested seats and it was very good to see such interest from people who want to make a difference to mental health services in Lincolnshire.”