Public Governors

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.

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.