Council of governors
Overview
As an NHS foundation trust, QVH has a board of directors and a council of governors. The board of directors is responsible for the strategy and performance of the trust and the council of governors holds the board of directors to account for the trust's performance. The trust chairman leads both the board of directors and the council of governors.
Statutory duties
The council of governors has important statutory powers which include:
- to appoint and, if appropriate, remove the chair, non-executive directors and auditor
- to decide the remuneration, allowances and other terms and conditions of the chair and non-executive directors
- to approve the appointment of the chief executive
- to receive the annual accounts, any report of the auditor on them and the annual report.
Members
The QVH council of governors currently comprises:
- 20 public governors - individuals elected from the trust's public membership (see about membership for more information)
- Three staff governors - individuals elected from the trust's staff membership
- Four stakeholder governors - individuals nominated by the trust's key partner organisations.
A full list of the members of the council of governors is available on the right. This list provides information about terms of office and membership of sub-committees and working groups.
A number of governors hold leadership or senior roles on the board. The names, roles and portraits of these lead governors are set out in the biographies available on the right.
Principles
The QVH council of governors holds quarterly meetings in public which QVH members and members of the general public are welcome and encouraged to attend. The papers are made available from this website one week before each meeting. More information about recent and forthcoming formal meetings is on the public meetings page. In addition, the council of governors usually holds two or three private meetings each year.
Sub-committees
There are two formal sub-committees of the QVH council of governors:
- Appointments Committee, Chaired by Valerie King, Public Governor
The Appointments Committee meets quarterly and is responsible for the identification and nomination of non-executive directors including the chairman. It advises the council of governors who are responsible for the appointment, re-appointment and removal of the chairman and other non-executive directors.
- Governor Steering Group (GSG), Chaired by Ian Stewart, Pubic Governor The GSG was created by the QVH council of governors to support and facilitate the activities of the board. The group meets monthly and its meetings are attended, in part, by the chief executive and other members of the executive team, along with the company secretary.
More information, enquiries and contact details
More information about the governance of NHS foundation trusts councils of governors is available from the website of Monitor, the independent regulator of foundation trusts. In particular, the Monitor Code of Governance sets out the best practice guidance for the governance of foundation trusts and the publication Your statutory duties: a reference guide for NHS foundation trust governors sets out the statutory responsibilities of governors as provided by legislation (the National Health Service Act 2006).
To find out more about the council of governors or to make contact with governors, please contact the deputy company secretary on 01342 414200, hilary.saunders@qvh.nhs.uk