How we work
As a Foundation Trust we are accountable to our local community which means local people, patients and staff can have a real say in how the Trust is run by becoming members.
The Board
Our Trust board oversees the day-to-day running of the organisation, exercising its power through various sub-committees including:
- Audit, Risk and Governance Committee
- Finance and Performance Committee
- Health Tree Foundation Committee
- Quality and Safety Committee
- Strategic Development Committee
- Remuneration and Terms of Service Committee
- Workforce Committee
The Trust board meets bi-monthly to approve new polices, receive reports on performance and make decisions about how the Trust is run. The board then delegates actions to each of the sub committees.
Our members elect our Council of Governors (COG) to represent their interests while holding the Trust board of directors to account.
Freedom to Speak Up Guardian
We have a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian who works alongside the board and executive team to help support the organisation to become a more open, transparent place to work. It is their role to listen to and support staff to raise concerns. This is just one way in which staff can speak up.
Divisions and directorates
Our departments all sit under a clinical division or corporate directorate:
Clinical divisions:
- Community and Therapies
- Family Services
- Medicine
- Surgery and Critical Care
Corporate directorates:
- Chief Executive’s Office
Chief Medical Officer Directorate - Chief Nurse Directorate
- Digital Services
- Estates and Facilities
- Finance
- People and Organisational Effectiveness
- Strategic Development
About Foundation Trusts
NHS Foundation Trusts were created to devolve decision making from central government to local organisations and communities, with a strong and clear line of local democratic accountability. A new governance structure was designed specifically for Foundation Trusts, which ensures the direct participation of local communities, and provides and develops healthcare according to the core NHS principles of free care, based on need and not ability to pay.
Those living in constituencies that are served by the Trust can become members and from these members governors are elected to represent members’ interests in the running of the organisation. Members are able to engage in establishing the direction of services provision and ensure that hospital services more accurately reflect the needs and expectations of local people. We have been a Foundation Trust since May 2007.
Council of Governors
Our Council of Governors represent the interests of local communities, partners and staff in the development of our organisation and oversee the following sub-committees:
- Appointments and Remuneration Committee
- Governor Assurance Group
Governors are the link between our members and directors; they are responsible for conveying information from the Trust Board to members about affordability, service plans and health improvement initiatives. Our Council of Governors has both elected and nominated governors:
- Public governors are elected by public members
- Staff governors are elected by staff members
- Stakeholder governors are nominated by partner organisations including GP providers, commissioners, local authorities and medical schools
