Governor Focus conference

5-7 July 2022, online

A conference dedicated to NHS governors

Our national Governor focus conference is the leading free event for NHS governors. This year's event will take place online over three days on 5, 6 and 7 July 2022.

The event will be a fantastic opportunity to network with other governors from across the country and learn from colleagues as well as hear from sector leaders on issues directly affecting the governor role and explore developments in the sector.

why attend governor focus conference?

Governor Focus conference is a unique event aimed specifically at NHS governors, giving them the chance to explore developments in the health and social care sector, examining issues more directly affecting the governor role.

90% of attendees scored the conference as excellent or very good and 97% of governors would recommend this event.

Governors will:

Share, learn, and develop their knowledge to better prepare for the future.
Have a fantastic opportunity to network with governor peers online.
Dip in and out of sessions to fit around your schedule - with morning sessions on 5 and 7 July and afternoon sessions on 6 July.
Get the chance to hear from expert speakers who are committed to maximising the governor role.
Learn from their colleagues through the governor showcase.

Join in the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #GovernorFocus

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09.50

Registration/Log on

10.00

Introduction and chair’s welcome

Introduction and chair’s welcome.

Chair

Sir Ron Kerr

10.15

Session 1: Setting the scene – a national policy update

Saffron will provide an overview of the key issues facing the provider sector, with a particular emphasis on those areas of greatest concern to councils of governors.

Chair

Sir Ron Kerr

Speaker

Saffron Cordery

11.05

Session 2: Governor Showcase

Introduction to this year’s showcase and announcement of the finalists. We will hear from one of our finalists and all about their Showcase project.

Chair

Sir Ron Kerr

Speakers

Margaret Rotchell

Luke Jenkinson

11.30

Session 3: Breakout discussions

Delegates will be split into breakout groups to network and share their experience on two/three topics covered by the session’s speakers.

12.30

Close of day 1

Close of day one of the conference.

Chair

Sir Ron Kerr

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13.50

Registration/log on

14.00

Introduction and chair’s welcome

Introduction and chair’s welcome.

Chair

Suzy Brain England OBE

14.10

Session 4: Update from the governor support team

Claire Mescia will give an update on governor support and the work of the NHS Providers Governor Advisory Committee.

Chair

Suzy Brain England OBE

Speaker

Claire Mescia

14.25

Session 5: Governors as key partners in system working

A panel discussion that will bring together a group of individuals with diverse perspectives to give their views on how governors can work effectively within a system context. We will explore the council of governors duties’ that will be most affected and signpost to key documents.

Chair

Suzy Brain England OBE

Speakers

John Adler

Marie Gabriel CBE

Rob Webster

15.05

Session 6: Governor Showcase

Introduction to this year’s showcase and announcement of the finalists. We will hear from one of our finalists and all about their Showcase project.

Chair

Suzy Brain England OBE

Speakers

Dr Mabel Blades

Peter Woolliscroft

Chris Davison

15.30

Session 7: Breakout discussions

Delegates will be split into breakout groups to network and share their experience on two/three topics covered by the session’s speakers.

16.30

Close of day 2

Close of day two of the conference.

Chair

Suzy Brain England OBE

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Reset

09.50

Registration/log on

10.00

Introduction and chair’s welcome

Introduction and chair’s welcome.

Chair

Sir Ron Kerr

10.10

Session 8: Understanding the board's performance: your role as a governor

It’s an important part of the role of the council of governors to understand and comment on the performance of their board.

Due to the challenges facing all parts of the NHS and social care at present, the apparent performance of boards as judged against performance targets is not always a reliable indicator of how well boards are performing. In these circumstances the way councils of governors work needs to adapt to circumstances without losing sight of core performance issues.

This session explores how governors should understand the performance of their trust and its board, and considers the values and behaviours that enable the board and council of governors to act collegiately, for the benefit of patients, in times of system-wide pressures.

Chair

Sir Ron Kerr

Speaker

David Astley OBE

Peta Foxall

Paul Howard

10.50

Session 9: Governor Showcase

Introduction to this year’s showcase and announcement of the finalists. We will hear from one of our finalists and all about their Showcase project.

Chair

Sir Ron Kerr

Speakers

Steph Clark

Daughne Taylor

11.15

Session 10: Breakout discussions

Delegates will be split into breakout groups to network and share their experience on two/three topics covered by the session’s speakers.

12.15

Recap of key issues from across the week

Recap of key issues from across the week.

Chair

Sir Ron Kerr

12.30

Close of conference

Speakers

Sir Ron Kerr

Chair

Sir Ron Kerr has spent all his career in the health and care sector and has been a chief executive at national, regional and local level for over 30 years, latterly as chief executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust until 2015. He is currently independent chair of Healthier Together, the sustainability and transformation partnership (STP) for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire and a board member of Genomics England Ltd. He is also a trustee of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity and King’s College London. He was knighted for services to the NHS in 2011.

Suzy Brain England OBE

Chair

Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust

Suzy Brain England OBE is the Chair of the Board at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals. She is a former board member of Mid Yorkshire Hospitals, Barnsley Hospital and Kirklees Community Healthcare. Suzy is a Chartered Director and Lead examiner for the Institute of Directors. She is a trustee on the NHS Providers and NHS Retirement Fellowship Board and Chair of Keep Britain Tidy. She is a Director of Doncaster Chamber of Commerce. Suzy received her OBE for public service in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

John Adler

Chair

Governor Advisory Committee

John became a public governor for Sheffield Children’s Foundation Trust in September 2020.  This followed a 35 year career in senior NHS management, including periods in Sheffield, Birmingham, London and Leicester.  At The Children’s, John is a member of the committee which appoints the Non-Executive Directors to the Board of Directors.  He is also the Governor observer on the Board Quality Committee, where he aims to add value through his experience in safety and quality improvement in the NHS.

David Astley OBE

Chair

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

David was awarded an O.B.E in 2006 for services to the NHS, has held a number of very senior roles in the NHS including Chief Executive of East Kent University Hospitals NHS Trust between 1999 and 2006 and Chief Executive of St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust between 2006 and 2011. He joined the NHS in 1974. From 2011 to 2015 David was Chief-Tertiary Hospitals Group of the Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar. On return to the UK and retirement from full time Executive duties, David served as a non-executive director of Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust between 2016 and 2018. He was appointed as Chair of South East Coast Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust in September 2018.

Peta Foxall

Lead Governor

Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, prior GAC member

Peta has achieved a hat trick of experiences as a Governor; from Appointed Governor, to Public Governor and currently as Lead Governor of the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The golden thread that runs through these experiences is that Peta is a lifelong patient and refers to the NHS as her other family. Peta is Senior Independent Trustee of the NHS Confederation, national Chair of The Wildlife Trusts and a previous member of NHS Providers’ Governor Advisory Committee.

Marie Gabriel CBE

Independent Chair Designate

North East London ICS

With 20 years of NHS Board experience, Marie is currently the Chair Designate of the North East London ICS, Chair of the NHS Race and Health Observatory and until December 2021 was Chair of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. Prior to this, Marie chaired mental health and commissioning organizations with budgets up to £3bn. Her first NED role was as Vice Chair of an acute Trust. Nationally, Marie is a member of the National People Board and Equality, Diversity Advisory Group and regionally, she is Co-Chair of the London People Board and a member of the Greater London Authority’s London Health Board. Marie’s background is in local government and the voluntary sector with particular experience in social justice, regeneration and equity. Marie’s contribution to the NHS has been recognised through her incorporation in the Health Service Journal’s lists of the most influential and the award of her CBE in 2018.

Saffron Cordery

Interim Chief Executive

NHS Providers

Saffron is NHS Providers deputy chief executive, part of the senior management team and sits on our board. She has extensive experience in policy development, influencing and communications and has worked in the healthcare sector since 2007. Before moving into healthcare, Saffron was head of public affairs at the Local Government Association, the voice of local councils in England. Her early career focused on influencing EU legislation and policy development, and she started working life in adult and community education.

She has a degree in Modern Languages from the University in Manchester, for ten years was a board member and then chair of a 16–19 college in Hampshire and is a trustee of GambleAware, a leading charity committed to minimising gambling-related harm.

Steph Clark

OD Consultant

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Steph is a physiotherapist by background and has worked at Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust for 13 years and for the last four years has been a staff governor. Steph is really passionate about creating a place of belonging for all staff and patients and during the pandemic she changed career paths and moved into the organisational development department where she now leads the work on culture change within the trust.

Daughne Taylor

Public Governor

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Daughne has been a Public Governor and Chair of the PEG committee with Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for four years and is passionate about representing patients and supporting staff. Daughne's entire professional career has been within the NHS and remains proud to contribute as a Governor. Daughne describes her roll as the most rewarding window of her life and considers it a privilege to have been asked to join the Culture Change Program and to act as an ambassador of change for the Trust.

Claire Mescia

Member Development Manager (Governor Support Programme)

Claire is a senior manager with experience in leading the overall design, planning, implementation, evaluation and performance of highly complex programmes, major campaigns and strategic initiatives in the public and medical charity sectors.

She is currently spearheading the design, planning and implementation of a package of support specifically tailored to the roles, responsibilities and local accountabilities of NHS foundation trust councils of governors, in response to the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Special interests include strengthening the evidence base around NHS governor effectiveness, raising awareness of the role of NHS governors nationally and sharing examples of good practice associated with the governor role across the country.

Margaret Rotchell

Lead Governor

Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Margaret has a long-standing commitment to, and affinity for, the NHS, having worked as a hospital pharmacist throughout her career until her retirement in 2013. During that time, she worked in both acute and mental health Trusts in different parts of the country. Margaret was elected as a public governor at Chesterfield Royal in January 2014. In January 2021, she took over her current role as Lead Governor and will complete her final term of office in December.

Luke Jenkinson

Staff Governor

Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Luke originally trained as a Physiotherapist. Whilst maintaining clinical work, Luke moved into transformational roles at Chesterfield Royal Hospital where he led the Outpatient Improvement Programme and recently became the Macmillan Programme Lead. Prior to becoming the Staff Governor representing Allied Health Professionals, Scientists and Pharmacists at Chesterfield Royal he served two terms of office as a Public Governor at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Luke is also an Independent Member of the Education Committee at the Health and Care Professions Council.

Dr Mabel Blades

Public Governor

Kettering General Hospital Foundation Trust for East Northamptonshire

Mabel acts as Deputy Lead Governor and Chair for the Governors Public Engagement and Communications Group. Throughout her terms as Governor, she has been keen on promoting engagement with other Governors plus those she represents. Mabel tweets and provides information to local networks by writing articles for the local Evening Telegraph on the role of Governors which was previously Showcased.

Peter Woolliscroft

Lead Governor

Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Peter's career spans over 40 years in and around healthcare, at hospital level where he held senior management positions, and at the Department of Health (DH) where he was Head of Construction and FM. Peter has also worked in the private sector running a procurement company and recently a training academy. Peter has enjoyed being a Governor for seven years, six of which as Lead Governor helping the Trust steer its way through becoming a group with Northampton hospital and achieving academic status with local universities.

Chris Davison

Lead Governor

Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Chris is the Lead Governor for Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT). Chris was elected in 2018 and is currently in his second term as a Public Governor for Kettering and Corby. He plays an active role with partner organisations and local community groups in running health and wellbeing events and signposting people to resources that can sustain their emotional and mental wellbeing.  Chris is also a Trustee for Kettering Mind and a member of the ‘Action for Happiness’ Northamptonshire Hub promoting the Ten Keys to Happier Living.

Paul Howard

Company Secretary

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Paul is the Director of Corporate Affairs at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and co-chairs the NHS Providers Company Secretaries Network. Named as not-for-profit Company Secretary of the Year by the Chartered Governance Institute in 2014, he has worked in corporate governance for the past 15 years and led on the development of new model election rules for Councils of Governors on behalf of NHS Providers. Paul’s areas of interest include risk management and compassionate leadership.

Governor showcase

We will once again be running our Governor showcase as part of the conference, and applications are now open!

We are keen to hear from trusts and their governors about their work providing creative ideas that will support and inspire others performing the role.

How to apply

Applications for Governor Focus Showcase are now closed.

Watch last year's showcase winners videos below.

Book now

Secure your place today using the buttons below.

Not sure how to register? Please take a look at our dedicated booking guide that will give you step-by-step instructions on how to secure your place for Governor Focus conference.

What previous delegates said

"Fantastic conference, shows how effective we can engage using virtual platform."

"Thank you for an incredible three days! So much to take in and take back."

"An insightful agenda and such interesting speakers and breakout sessions today, I really enjoyed attending."

"Very interesting lot of helpful information thank you."

"Excellent breakout discussions, thank you."

"It was an excellent opportunity to meet Governors from all over country."

contact us

For more information please contact the Governor focus events team.