Council of Governors

I've been a service user of Sussex Partnership for 12 years and am passionate about being a voice for service users and finding opportunities where people with lived experience can offer feedback. I really value equality, inclusivity and empowerment. And, I'm aware people from minority groups are rarely heard, such as those from ethnic minorities, asylum seekers, LGBTQI, those experiencing homelessness, young people, and people with disabilities. I have spoken as part of a lived experience panel in a Cross-Party Parliamentary Group around mental health provision and contributed to the Victims Bill for the Ministry of Justice.

There are still many barriers that service users face sharing their experience and for these voices to actually affect change 'on the ground'. I have been challenging these barriers as a Governor including Human Rights concerns. I was also involved in a Committee that addressed service user feedback and raised concerns around the balance of the lived experience voice in this meeting and the functioning of service user groups- the need for increased diversity, listening and transparency. I am also part of the Suicide Prevention steering group and involved a local MP to ensure mental health provision at Brighton station.

When service users access the NHS, it is often a challenging time. And there is still a need to encourage a cultural shift, in order for these voices to be heard. In my role as a Governor, I empower these voices to be represented within Sussex Partnership.

I am a parent of a child who has used Sussex Partnership services for over seven years under CAHMS and now adult services.

During those seven years, I have seen some of the best and worst the services have to offer; I am passionate about ensuring the best practices are celebrated and shared while highlighting the not-so-good practices to eradicate them.

The current system of accessing services during a mental crisis needs improving, and I will strive to fight for a better point of access for those in crisis.

I believe that the teams working in mental health are amazing people who need support to deliver the outstanding care they strive to achieve. With this in mind, I fully intend to be a force for positive change.

I've had a neurological condition since I was young, but in the last 10 years I developed a mental health illness. During my hospitalisation I saw and experienced things that needed to be addressed, and I have also seen and experienced the things that helped.

I wish to assist approaching the bad things as well as ensuring the approach for the good things should be recognised. 

After a lot of recovery, hard work and effort I am now back in society and I really do want to give back. As you will all know, addressing mental health is terribly hard work for every party involved. be that the patient, the family, the friends or carers. But also we should not forget the staff who are involved at every level, current demands mean it is very hard for them.

One thing I have noted is that things of ‘Achievement, Opportunity and Goals’ should be presented. I have created solutions to problems and to my delight they have worked. I just want to keep on helping; as so much has been done for me.

I feel privileged to have been appointed as a governor. This is my opportunity to uphold and advocate for the values and opinions of service users. I am lucky that I can do this, and I will endeavour to carry out my role to the best of my abilities to ensure that I and others can impact the services to be the best that they can be. 

Becoming the best version of myself is particularly important to me and I feel that this mentality can be personified by our institutions and organisations. Through hard work, dedication and a positive attitude, I can be in control of my own destiny.  It takes a collective effort for our services to be the best they can be. Working together, we can move mountains and I look forward to speaking to those whose opinions and experiences can have a far-reaching impact that will perpetuate future prosperity, wellness and success. 

I look forward to this venture and I hope that we can all shine together.

I have extensive experience as a parent carer of a daughter with multiple and complex needs. I also work in local authority children’s services, collecting and analysing data. I'm on the steering group of the disabled workers and carer’s network, raising awareness of invisible disabilities and the importance of reasonable adjustments, kindness and understanding in Brighton and Hove Council.

I'm a member of the Brighton and Hove Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Partnership Board, and carry out extensive analysis and reporting on special needs data on children and young people.

I was on the Sussex Partnership Lived Experience Advisory Panel for the measurement of quality of life in family carers of people with dementia, and was a consultant on the Time for Autism project. I was chair of Governors at Saltdean Primary school for seven years and prior to that I was on the Board of the Women’s Refuge Project (now RISE).

My commitment as a Carer Governor, is to hold leaders to account in improving services, systems, use of data and really understand the needs of the people we are here to support. This is especially important for those who are neurodiverse or have learning needs. I also share lived experience of what it is like to have a child 'in the system' and the transition to adult services. The system is currently not working for people who have medical, neurodiverse and mental health needs. Ultimately, we need to save lives and improve the quality of life for those living with mental health challenges.

Thank you for supporting me as your Carer Governor for East. Sussex. I have certainly felt the past three years has gone by very quickly and I am delighted to have been elected for another three year term.(2023-2026). During my time with SPFT I have worked tirelessly to voice the concerns at Board and Council meetings of the plight of Carers who are supporting loved ones afflicted with mental health. I understand the needs of Carers who face challenges each day, as I am supporting my own adult daughter who has schizophrenia, Autism and other complex needs.

I have developed my role outside the organization by training as an Authorised Representative in Healthwatch to better understand the needs of health services in East Sussex. I trained as an Expert by Experience (EBE) so that I could use my carer experience to ensure the needs of those with autism are being appropriately supported coming into mental health services. My EBE role has also led me to become involved in the development of a psychosis support group for families in East Sussex.

The next three years I intend to prioritise the following :

• Impact of CAMHS wait time on families
• Promoting safety of clinical areas for those with Autism and Learning Disability
• Highlighting the amazing role of Carers and ensuring they are supported and included.

I am very happy that I have been appointed to the Council of Governors. I will do my best, as an elected governor. I look forward to meeting new people.

I have been a carer for some 20+ years. I still feel young at heart and love walking and seeking new places.

I've spent most of my working career in the NHS as a worker, Healthcare professional and Trade Unionist. The NHS trained me and was my bread and butter and now pays me a pension. It is now my turn to put something back into it when it is facing great difficulties and horrendous challenges. I have a wealth of experience as foot soldier to a charge nurse. The NHS needs help from everyone to prevent the unthinkable happening of a few taking it and selling it off for their own greedy agendas.

I'm an experienced Trade Unionist and a retired nurse who understands how systems and the delivery of care works in the NHS. I have extensive experience of working with management to resolve complex issues in the NHS. I'm currently chair of RCN Brighton and Hove branch.

Professionally I have an interest in mental health issues having encountered this, within the remit of representing staff at disciplinary hearings and attendance hearings. I've also been a service user which has only enriched my life. Working in highly stressful environments enriches perceptions of life.

I want to assist and help the organisation to function effectively in providing the gold star experience which patients and staff deserve, as well as the taxpayer. Governors use their experience from a wide range of backgrounds which can only be beneficial for a large organisation such as Sussex Partnership.

I can still remember what it was like when I had a mental illness and how it caused me such turmoil and great difficulties especially in explaining my feelings and emotions to others, asking for help, and getting support from employers and the medical profession. Because of my experiences I have decided to focus my time and efforts on mental health it's delivery, accessibility and aftercare. With the new Mental Health Act due soon, it's an especially important time to stand for governor in order to be an effective voice for those that need the Trust services the most.

I've volunteered as an associate hospital manager for the Trust for about ten years, which has meant that I have seen first-hand what the difficulties are in not delivering great service for those using the Trust, this makes me an ideal conduit to represent the interests of members, service users and the public. Being an advocate for the Trust is a vital part of being a governor, being in a position to spread awareness and help people to understand more about mental health which will hopefully start to remove the stigma that surrounds it.

As a governor, my role is to ensure Sussex Partnership is running effectively, economically and smoothly by checking non-executive directors monitoring, questioning and challenging Executive Directors in their decision-making. It's also important to act as an ambassador, linking between service users, the public and the board, together with promoting the Trust and its activities.
 

It is a great privilege to have been elected a governor, and I will do my best to promote the views of staff and service users throughout my term. 

I am the former Head of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Centre for Quality Improvement. I led the development of its quality networks and have visited and reviewed most specialist mental health services. I have also led national health service research and programme evaluation projects. I have authored/edited two books on clinical governance and an online training module series on quality in healthcare. 

I am also past president of the Royal Society of Medicine’s Quality in Healthcare Section and former Chair of the UK Health and Social Care Accreditation Forum. 

I have a keen interest in human rights and global health. I co-founded the Royal Society of Medicine’s Global Health Film Initiative and was a long-term member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' International Advisory Committee.

As someone who has experienced both poor and good mental health and had the opportunity of experiencing effective treatment, I feel that it’s important to highlight the work of the Trust and to help and move things forward. I joined the Trust as a member when my daughter was referred, and I appreciated the care she was provided. However, I can see that the Trust needs more support, and I would like to be involved.

I am a collaborative leader in my professional life as a Finance Director for a multi -national company. Feedback from my colleagues is that I show empathy and am able to find solutions and provide constructive feedback. I am part of the Mentorship Program in my workplace and I am trained as a certified coach and a member of the International Coach Federation. I have also just completed Mental Health First Aider Training.

It’s important to have the appropriate governors in place to provide support to the Trust for the good health of all. A 'critical friend' is a governor that can provide their skills and experience to champion, improve, and learn how they can support both the Trust and the local community.

Since starting as a consultant psychiatrist in Chichester District in 1983 I have consistently wished to support the mental health of service users, their family carers and staff in their work. I believe this showed in how I worked in community psychiatry and addictions all through my career. I retired from the NHS in 2009 but continued part-time in addictions, and since 2016 in military psychiatry for a Portsmouth charity. Though I have now retired from active practice, my continued good health and interest in supporting the local community mean that I have time and energy for the role.

A drive to help the community by supporting those under greatest stress; a dislike of divisions in society; a continued wish to keep up to date professionally, particularly in areas like trauma-informed care, military mental health and joint working between agencies especially in mental health and substance misuse; and a strong interest in training everyone from service users, carers & volunteers to staff including medics in up-to-date models of care. My other community involvement e.g., leading a bid for full fibre broadband in our rural locality shows my broad community interest.

Without caring and committed yet dispassionate and balanced oversight, from a broad group of people dedicated to ensuring best care within available resource, any organisation risks becoming insular and developing too narrow a perspective on its work. A vigorous group of Governors should ensure the best (innovative yet safe) governance.

My parents lived in Shoreham and had the benefit of services from the hospital Trust. My brother lives and works in Shoreham and my wife and I moved to Shoreham 5 years ago and enjoyed being back in Sussex. I like to be involved in local organisations and have a particular interest in health systems. It would be a great privilege to service with the Trust Governors and support the trust over the next few years. This will be a difficult time for health services in terms of workforce, the emergence of digital healthcare and the bringing together the Hospital, GP and community care services. It is a demanding and satisfying time to be involved in health service reconfiguration.

I qualified as a doctor and did my post graduate training in GP in the UK. I was a GP in Oxford for 3 years before emigrating to New Zealand. During my time in New Zealand, I took a leading role in health care reform over 25 years. I was awarded an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2010 in recognition of the contribution that my team and I had made to the health sector.

I think that having an external body can support the hospital Trust in it endeavours and is also a platform for accountability to the community.

I'm passionate about improving patient safety through the promotion of an open culture of reporting and learning from incidents that develops actions which ensure equitable provision of quality care and treatment, that prevents harm reoccurring. I have worked in the NHS for nearly 20 years in adult, community and mental health services and for the last five, I have worked in the governance department of a mental health NHS Trust and have mastered a holistic overview of what encompasses good quality and safe patient care and how it should be delivered.

I have experience of working in as a School Governor as well as working at senior level as a Diversity in Decision Making Representative, sitting on Trust board level committees, with a speaking role. I have the experience in negotiating, challenging and influencing decisions by acting as a voice between board members, patients, pupils, teachers and staff to improve the quality of decision made on committees through diversity and inclusivity.

They hold Trust Boards to account and ensure that it acts in a way which is consistent with its mission and strategic direction. They encourage co-production in initiatives to redress health inequalities. They reflect the diverse nature of Trust catchment area to ensure high-quality services are appropriate for each area.

• Service User Governor - Brighton and Hove
• Service User Governor - East Sussex x 2
• Service User Governor - West Sussex x 2
• Carer Governor

A few years ago, I would never have imagined considering standing as governor, let alone standing as a staff governor for SPFT. My personal journey within the Trust has not been straightforward. However, after some encouragement, I have come to realise that the governor role would provide a platform to draw upon these experiences to make a difference. Hailing from an ethnic minority background (Irish Traveller), my lived experience of neurodivergence, chronic physical illness, mental health, as well as my duo-status as a service user and staff member, render me well-placed to represent a multitude of diverse, underrepresented voices.

My autistic honesty, integrity, youth, enthusiasm, creativity, dedication, organisation, and expertise by both lived and professional experience. Through my links with the Neurodivergent, and Disability Staff Networks, as well as from my lived experience role as a Peer Support Specialist for the Neurodevelopmental Service, I am confident I could effectively represent these staff groups. As a service user myself, I have never forgotten where I’ve come from. I remain resolute to the service user movement, reflected no doubt by my prolific tweeting @thelifeof_lorna. Above all, I have a strong sense of justice, and am certainly not afraid to speak up.

'Nothing About Us Without Us' – a slogan originating from disability rights movements. To truly embody the Trust values of People First, Future-Focused, Embracing Change, Working Together, and ensuring Everyone Counts, it is paramount that all decisions are representative of the perspectives of staff, service users, family, friends, and carers.

I have worked for Sussex Partnership for over 20 years in both clinical and administrative settings, and am now a staff governor again for the second time. I have been on both sides of the service, and have a good understanding of the needs of the community and of being a staff member. I feel extremely privileged to be involved and to use my personal experiences to help the Trust. Also, I have gained qualifications and developed personally through training. I have immense respect for patients and staff alike. It’s a real honour to be a staff governor for a second time. 

I'm the Local Authority Governor representing West Sussex County Council and previous to this I was a public governor. As someone who has lived experience of mental health challenges I understand the importance of being able to access quality care and consider it a privilege to be part of the Council of Governors.

When I’m not working, I can usually be found hanging out with my two dogs, either stomping around the countryside or curled up with a book on the sofa.

• Local Authority Governor
• Partnership Governor x 4