Council of Governors

The Council of Governors is the collective body through which executive and non-executive directors explain and justify their actions. It works closely with the Trust Board to make sure services are meeting the needs of the local community.

The Council of Governors consists of 22 governors who gather the views of the hospital's members and give them a voice at the highest level of the organisation. These representatives have certain roles and responsibilities and must carry out statutory duties.

The main role of the council is to:

• Hold the non-executive directors to account for the performance of the board
• Represent the interests of the trust’s members, the general public and staff

In addition some of the statutory responsibilities of the council include:

• Appointing the chair and non-executive directors of the Trust
• Agreeing the appointment of the chief executive of the Trust
• Appointing the Trust's auditors.

More details about being a governor can be found under the information for governors section of the gov.uk website 

Become a member to nominate yourself and be involved in future Council of Governors' elections.

For further details of the Council of Governors please contact the Council of Governors' business manager on 023 8120 1469/07425 621968. You can also email your governor at UHSgovernor@uhs.nhs.uk

The Council of Governors is broken down into the following groups:

Council of Governors' constituencies

Type of constituency	Name of constituency
Public (elected)	Southampton City - five governors New Forest, Eastleigh and Test Valley - five governors Isle of Wight - one governor Rest of England and Wales - two governors
Staff (elected)	Medical and dental - one governor Non-clinical and support staff - one governor Nursing and midwifery - one governor Health professional and health scientist staff - one governor
Stakeholder (appointed)	Hampshire County Council - one governor Southampton City Council - one governor Solent University - one governor University of Southampton - one governor Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB - one governor

The council of governors has established a governors’ nominations committee and three working groups: patient and staff experience group, strategy and finance group and membership and engagement group.

Governors’ nomination committee

The governors’ nomination committee is a committee established by the council of governors responsible for advising and/or making recommendations to the council of governors on:

• the appointment and reappointment of the chair and non-executive director positions on the board of directors
• the remuneration, allowances and other terms and conditions of the chair and non-executive directors
• the evaluation of the performance of the chair and non-executive directors
• the approval of the appointment of the chief executive officer by the board of directors’ remuneration and appointment committee.

The terms of reference for the committee are available below.