Could Harrogate’s hospital governors disappear under proposed changes?
A major shake-up of NHS governance could change the way Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is held to account, with proposals that could see its council of governors removed.
Jackie Lincoln, public governor and lead governor at HDFT, spoke about the proposed changes at the trust’s annual members’ meeting this week and what they could mean.
The NHS 10-Year Plan sets out three major shifts - from hospitals to communities, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.
Alongside this, proposed legislation could change how NHS organisations are governed, including potentially removing the requirement for trusts such as HDFT to have a council of governors.
Kate Southgate, associate director of quality and corporate affairs, said that whatever the final arrangements, the organisation’s commitment to listening to patients, members, staff and local communities would remain.
She said there was an opportunity to consider “what meaningful engagement should look like” and how HDFT could hear from a broader and more diverse range of people.
Members were asked what aspects of the organisation’s work they wanted to know more about, whether they wanted greater involvement in the future and how they would prefer to engage - including through surveys, meetings and face-to-face events.
The feedback gathered at the meeting will be analysed and shared through the membership network.