What is GovernWell?

A committed, knowledgeable and effective council of governors is one of the cornerstones of a foundation trust's success. Our well established and wide-ranging GovernWell programme covers all levels of governor development with a focus on quality content and the governor role in practice delivered in an interactive format.

Our GovernWell offer includes:

Governor training – the national training programme for foundation trust governors
Governor Focus conference – an annual event exploring national issues in health and care that impact on the governor role
Virtual governor workshops – to enable governors to keep up to date with key policy issues, share good practice and discuss hot topics with peers
Governor Focus e-newsletter so governors can keep up with developments in the sector
Support and guidance on our webpages including jargon busters, guidance documents and induction resources.

GovernWell training programme

GovernWell, the national training programme for foundation trust governors, aims to develop the knowledge and skills of governors to allow them to undertake their statutory roles and responsibilities effectively. Our practical, interactive training is delivered by experienced trainers with significant NHS experience who are committed to continuous development. The GovernWell training programme includes:

Core skills paid-for module for those governors in their first term of office, or those governors who require a refresher
Six specialist skills paid-for training modules focusing on specific aspects of the governor role in more detail, these include:
- Accountability and holding to account;
- Effective questioning and challenge;
- Member and public engagement;
- NHS finance and business skills;
- Recruitment – the governor role in non-executive director appointments;
- Effective chairing for governors.

These modules are delivered as open courses and in-house on request for individual council of governors where content can be tailored to specific development needs and requirements.

Governor Focus conference

Our national Governor Focus conference is the leading annual free event for NHS governors. The event provides a opportunity for governors to network with their peers from across the country and learn from colleagues and sector leaders on issues and developments within the sector directly affecting their role. Keep an eye on this page for future dates and details.

Virtual governor workshops

The GovernWell programme also provides free virtual governor workshops twice a year to enable governors to keep up to date with key policy issues, share good practice and discuss hot topics with peers. For more details and future dates please see here.

Governor Focus newsletter

We produce a bulletin for NHS governors which gives you a round-up of the latest news, policy updates, case studies and interviews as well as relevant training opportunities. To sign up for future editions and see past newsletters, please see here.

Support and guidance

As part of our GovernWell programme, we have a range of guidance documents, resources and case studies to provide governors with information and advice on aspects of their duties. Please see here for further information. For any other queries please contact the governor support team.