Council of Governor elections - A message from our lead governor

With nominations for election to the UHS Council of Governors open until 30 July 2025, our lead governor Shirley Anderson tells us about the role of a governor and why you should consider putting yourself forward if there is a vacancy in your constituency this year.

I am often asked about what the Council of Governors actually do and why I spend my free time serving as a governor.

I initially nominated myself to be a governor because I felt it was a great opportunity to add governance and public sector experience to my skills portfolio, particularly in such a significant organisation as the NHS. And having been very fortunate throughout my career, I thought I could give something back to the community, by offering my business expertise and skills to the governance process.

However, I have actually learned so much more than I could ever have possibly given back. I’ve learned about the real work that goes on at the hospital and its amazing selfless people. Their expertise and the huge levels of care and attention that staff give never fails to amaze me. The ground-breaking research that is undertaken and the brilliant innovations in medicine and care really are unbelievable.

I now understand better some of the exceptional frontline challenges that staff and directors here have to manage. The difficult decisions they have to make are way beyond those that most commercial business leaders have to deal with. Many of them face literally life or death situations every day and it is very humbling to be involved in a small way to try to help such a unique organisation survive and grow.

What do we do as the Council of Governors?

While part of the governor’s role is to share these valuable insights with our constituents and the public, and to relay their questions and suggestions back, our main function is to scrutinise how the non-executive directors (NEDs) challenge the performance of the executive directors.

We do this by observing the NEDs in action in meetings, and we question them on anything from their knowledge of the Trust’s priorities, performance against targets and strategic decisions, to relationship management and professionalism. This does require an element of time to read and digest papers, reports and communications, and to attend meetings.

The Trust regularly provides a variety of useful, relevant informational progress updates on numerous topics on which the Council of Governors meets to share thoughts, raise questions and challenge collectively. This helps governors to understand what is happening at the Trust from different perspectives.

Why should you apply?

Everyone can offer something different to the process, so you can make a difference by contributing your unique skills.

If you have a genuine interest in what is going on within the Trust and are prepared to take a little time to read and learn about the issues which affect patients, staff and the community, you will find it very interesting, challenging at times, but rewarding and personally enriching.

Find out more about the Council of Governor elections here.