New governors appointed to support Sutton and Mansfield hospitals

Thousands of the trust’s public and staff members were invited to cast their votes to appoint new governors in a total of nine advertised vacancies.

As a result of the elections, five new governors were elected to the trust’s Rest of East Midlands public constituency, which covers Mansfield, Ashfield and the rest of the East Midlands.

Three further governors were appointed to the trust’s public constituency for Newark & Sherwood, with one staff governor also being appointed.

They will join the current governors in ensuring the trust – which runs Sutton’s King’s Mill, Mansfield Community and Newark hospitals – continues to be one of the best places to work and receive care in the Midlands, according to the most recent national NHS staff survey.

More than 1,360 votes were cast by trust members across the constituencies.

Now, the trust has confirmed John Dove, Pam Kirby, Tracy Burton, Steven Hunkin and Dean Wilson have been elected as public governors for the East Midlands constituency.

Peter Gregory, Karen Nadin and Shane O’Neill were appointed unopposed to the Newark & Sherwood constituency.

Samantha Musson, trust head of therapy services, was elected staff governor.

Claire Ward, trust chairman, said: “Thank you to all the candidates who put their names forward in this election, it was great to see such great engagement from our local community. Thank you also to everyone who took the time to vote, I hope that your new governors will serve you well in the coming years.”

Governors represent the views of trust members, as well as those of the local community and are responsible for making changes to services provided by the Trust’s three hospital sites based on feedback from these groups.

The governors hold regular ‘meet your governor’ sessions, where members of the public can talk to them about any concerns or suggestions they may have.

They are vital in ensuring the trust’s services work and are accessible for all and play a key role in supporting the trust to achieve its goal of healthier communities and outstanding care to all.

Sally Brook Shanahan, trust director of corporate affairs, said: “Our governors are an essential part of the running of our trust and I’d like to thank all the candidates who expressed an interest in the role.

“I am delighted to welcome our nine newly-appointed governors and look forward to working with them in the future.”

Governors are elected from the Trust’s membership of more than 13,000 public members and 4,000 staff members.

Becoming a public member gives you a way to express support for your local hospitals and play an active role in their development.

Joining as a member is simple and can be done online at sfh-tr.nhs.uk/membership or by emailing [email protected] to request an application form.