Why I chose to become a lead governor for Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

What initially motivated you to become a staff governor?

I was driven to nominate myself as governor to strengthen the communication across the organisation and to highlight the great work happening throughout the trust. As a full-time working mum of two, I know the challenges faced around work/life balance and I wanted to ensure that the health and wellbeing for staff is integrated into future strategies that the trust creates.

What initially motivated you to become lead governor?

I was keen to improve the relationships between governors and non-executive directors, and to promote the skills and valuable experience of our governors, highlighting to the trusts board that governors are their-lived experience’ and to use this bountiful wealth of local knowledge to the benefit of the trust.

What is your role alongside being a governor?

I’ve been fortunate to work in community and mental health roles whilst being at the trust as a senior programme manager. Through my role I interact with a multitude of colleagues of all roles and levels and can observe and learn what challenges they face, and how passionate they are to improve things for their patients and peers.

Tell us about your experience balancing the responsibilities of your role alongside being a governor.

I’m conscious of keeping the two roles separate and making sure that they don’t overlap.  I make colleagues aware that I’m a staff governor through my email signature and when presenting, but I’m careful not to mix the responsibilities.

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

One of the key benefits of being a staff governor is that you can highlight to other governors and non-executive director’s (NEDs) some of the examples of the great work going on across the trust.  I’ve really pushed for more staff stories onto the council of governors (CoG) agendas and encourage more visits so governors can meet staff. We’ve also invited governors to attend staff awards and internal conferences, so they have opportunities to interact with staff.

Do you have any examples of any impact you feel you/your council of governors have made?

Since being in post, we’ve tried to simplify some of the communications to governors. This includes creating more informal sessions where NED’s and governors can talk, developing a quarterly newsletter which highlight the work of our governors, including trust visits to bring to life how they can be more involved. We had our highest number of governor attendance at our last CoG since pre-covid which we’re delighted in.

What do you enjoy most about being a staff governor?

Highlighting the great work that is being done across the trust by our amazing colleagues and showcasing this to our governors. I also love watching our other staff governors really support and advocate for the health and wellbeing of their peers.

Any top tips from your experience/insights for new staff governors?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions about what is required or what you’d like to be involved in. Your experience is so valuable to shaping the trusts’ vision and making it a better place to work.