Members of staff from Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust will be out and about in Mablethorpe next week (10 and 11 December) to encourage people to sign up as members of its new Foundation Trust.

The Trust – which offers mental health, drug and alcohol addiction services across the county – will be speaking to members of the public in the town to encourage them to sign up as members, giving them the opportunity to have more of a say about the Trust’s future direction.

Staff will be wearing NHS T-shirts so will be easily identifiable – and they will be outside the Library and Community Access Point, Stanley Avenue, from 10am to 5pm on both days.  

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 Foundation Trust was approved as a Foundation Trust on 1 October 2007 – but still needs more people to have their say on mental health.

Signing up as a member is completely free and there is no obligation for people to do anything. However, if people so wish they can stand for election as a Trust Governor as well as have their voice heard in a number of other ways.

Trust Chief Executive Chris Slavin said: “As an NHS Foundation Trust, control is transferred away from the government to the local community. Members of the public, along with staff, patients, service users and carers, now have the opportunity to become members, and thereby the owners, of the Trust.

“We are looking forward to meeting with members of the public in Mablethorpe and we are sure lots of people will be keen to sign up and have their say. It is really important that East Lindsey has a strong representation among our members so we know what people want from us in the area.”