What motivated me to become a governor?

Loretta Light profile picture

18 October 2021

Loretta Light
Governor
South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust


Loretta Light gives a question and answer breakdown of what truly inspired and motivated her to become a governor.

Having moved to Oxfordshire upon retirement from the NHS, I had become a parish councillor but was hoping to use my time and skills in a voluntary capacity in a healthcare field. The opportunity to apply to become a governor of South Central Ambulance Foundation NHS Trust (SCAS) came at the perfect time. I had always greatly admired the Ambulance service in my contacts with it both professionally and personally but felt I wanted to know more about how it functioned.


How long have I been a governor?


I started my first term of office in March 2019 and was re-elected for a further three years in March 2021.


What are my previous career/life experiences relevant to my governor role?


I qualified in medicine at Guy's Hospital in 1971 and have worked in a number of roles in hospital medicine, general practice and community medicine finally becoming a consultant community paediatrician in South Staffordshire. I was involved with the British Medical Association (BMA) chairing the community doctors subgroup and becoming a member of BMA council.  As a specialist in social paediatrics particularly child sexual exploitation, I was involved in national and regional groups setting up guidelines and advising others as well as acting as a medical expert in criminal cases. I set up multidisciplinary training in child protection in Staffordshire working closely with police, social services, probation and education and ran a national training scheme for doctors in child safeguarding and appropriate clinical diagnosis. I also set up and ran a clinic for teenage drug and alcohol addicts.

For 10 years I was the medical advisor for Action for Children, West Midlands for adoption and fostering and also the chair of governors (CoG) for a special school for children with learning difficulties. During these years, I learnt the skills of team working, chairing and running multiple committees, appointing new staff at all levels and undertaking investigations and disciplinary procedures both locally and in other parts of the country. I am now an independent tribunal member for school and transport appeals for Oxfordshire County Council and a trustee for the Charity Be Free Young Carers.


What made me stand for election to the governors advisory committee (GAC)?


During my first term as a governor, learning the ropes and understanding both the scope and the limits of the governor role, I became aware that other parts of the NHS as well as the general public did not understand the extended role of the modern ambulance service. It is no longer a people mover but has become a care navigator ensuring that only those patients who really require it are taken to emergency departments and that the right care is delivered in the right place using home treatment and integrated and urgent care as well as the primary care network. Many ambulance services run the 111 service by phone and on line as well as the non emergency transport services. It was partly the desire to communicate this wider view but also the wish to learn from other governors to improve practice as well as wanting to advance the training of all governors that prompted me to apply to be a member of GAC.


What do I think is the most important role a governor plays?


The two main roles are described in the governor guidance but it takes time and effort to understand and fulfil them. Seeking assurance from non executive directors (NEDs) is crucial to be satisfied that the business of the board is proceeding correctly and that objectives are being met with the best possible patient care always being uppermost. However both tact and knowledge are needed in framing questions as well as understanding the role and strengths of NEDs. It is extremely helpful to get to know NEDs and a buddying system linking governors with a particular NED is recommended. In pre COVID-19 days, undertaking walkarounds with a buddy NED was illuminating and hopefully will be re-instated in the future as will ride outs in emergency ambulances for governors to understand life for paramedics at the coal face.

For me, meeting members and the general public both as patients and attendees at meetings and talks has been a particular interest. Before COVID-19, we had started a series of public talks called Health Matters introduced by governors and featuring an expert from SCAS on a particular topic. COVID-19 unfortunately put a stop to this and has been replaced by a series of films also introduced by a governor available on Facebook and YouTube which have been very well received.


What impact do I think my CoG has made?


I believe that on many occasions the seeking of assurance by governors of NEDs in CoG meetings has prompted the re examination of issues with prompt feedback to governors subsequently as evidenced by the work log in minutes. Governors regularly attend board meetings with question time allocated to them used and recorded to prompt answers. Governors also attend audit, quality and safety and charity committees as observers gathering information which is used to seek assurance. However in recent times one of the most successful activities has been to involve governors with NEDs and directors in strategy meetings and workshops giving the CoG the opportunity to influence trust strategy directly. In addition the CoG undertook a multisession development programme over 18 months with a sub group then responsible for producing a CoG development plan which we have worked through including producing a governors' charter which all new governors sign up to.


What do I enjoy most about being Governor?


Pre COVID-19 the camaraderie and exchanging of information pre and post meetings was most enjoyable and this of course has been lost to some extent. However we still benefit from others' input electronically and have got used to Teams, Zoom and Chats. I feel privileged to gain information regularly from almost weekly briefings about what is happening in the Trust and feel part of an amazing organisation continuing to progress and innovate even in the current difficult healthcare climate.


What changes in healthcare locally or nationally that I see locally or nationally excite me?


I hope that integrated care systems (ICSs) will deliver their aims and objectives provided resources are matched to rising demand with current financial and workforce constraints but there is scope for a single regional commissioning board with oversight for ambulance services working across multiple ICSs. Above all, ambulance services need to be seen and understood as enablers for the rest of the NHS, treating patients in the right settings at the right time by preventing unnecessary attendances at emergency departments by providing treatment at home by phone or in place, arranging urgent and emergency care, delivering expert mental health advice and rotating paramedics into primary care networks to give but a few examples. The digital transformation that has occurred in SCAS has allowed ready access to patient information and referral routes between healthcare providers and will continue apace allowing remote video consultations for patients in ambulances and hospital specialists.

Despite the many challenges facing us, I believe the future is bright with the right investment and people.

About the author

Loretta Light profile picture

Loretta Light
Governor

Loretta Light is a retired consultant community paediatrician who has worked in the acute, community, mental health and general practice areas of the NHS. She was attracted to become a governor in South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) from her experience of this amazing sector. She started her second term in March 2021 and is deputy chair of the membership and engagement committee.