Council of Governors

Our 38 governors come from all walks of life. Some are people who live in local boroughs or more widely within England and have an interest in the NHS. Others are people who use our services or care for someone who uses them. Some of our staff are governors. We also have governors who represent our local authorities in Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich, the South East London Clinical Commissioning Group and voluntary and community groups. Being a governor is voluntary. The common ground for everyone is an interest in Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and the wide range of services we provide.

The Council of Governors is chaired by Trust Chairman, Andy Trotter, with Lead Governor Richard Diment as Vice Chair. They meet four times a year and the meetings are open to the public.

Governors give up their time voluntarily, but are supported and given training to help them gain the skills to contribute effectively and understand the way the trust works.

Being a governor is a serious and important role. The statutory duties of the Council of Governors are:

to hold the trust's non-executive directors individually and collectively to account for the performance of the Board of Directors.
to represent the interests of the members of the trust as a whole and the interests of the public.

The Board of Directors and Council of Governors work closely together. The governors agree the strategic direction of the trust and its services and represent the views of the trust’s members.

Council of Governors' Review: Our year

Our Council of Governors

We have 38 governors on our Council of Governors as follows:

Public constituencies:

Bexley (3 governors)
Bromley (3 governors)
Greenwich (3 governors)
Rest of England (1 governor)

Public Governors (10)

Service User/Carer constituency is divided into seven classes:

Bromley adult (2 governors)
Bexley adult (2 governors)
Greenwich adult (2 governors)
Forensic and prisons (1 governor)
Children (2 governors)
Learning disability (1 governor)
Carers (1 governor)

Service User/Carer Governors (11)

Our staff constituency is divided into seven classes:

Bexley Adult (1 governor)
Bromley Adult (1 governor)
Greenwich Adult (1 governor)
Children (1 governor)
Learning Disability (1 governor)
Forensic & Prison (1 governor)
Corporate and Partnership Organisations (1 governor)

Staff Governors (7)

We have 10 appointed governors:

Local Authority (3 governors)
South East London Clinical Commissioning Group (1 governor)
Partner organisations (6 governors)

Appointed Governors (10)

How to contact a governor

You can:

email oxl-tr.governors@nhs.net
call 01322 625752 and leave a message for a governor
write to a governor c/o The Trust Secretary's office, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, Pinewood House, Pinewood Place, Dartford, Kent DA2 7WG

Please note that our governors cannot help with personal issues.

Do you need advice or support regarding your condition, or the care you're receiving from Oxleas?

You should speak to your clinician or contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). PALS is a free, confidential service helping patients, families and carers to deal with concerns about the treatment and care we provide.

PALS can be contacted on: Freephone 0800 917 7159 or Email: oxl-tr.pals@nhs.net