Ambulance Service call for new governors
North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) is launching a campaign to recruit new Governors.
Governors have an important role in making an NHS foundation trust publicly accountable for the services it provides.
Governor Elections will be taking place from 10th August through until 17th October, Foundation Trust members can put themselves forward for election between 10th August and 7th September.
North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS) covers 3,200 square miles across the North East region. It employs more than 2,500 staff and serves a population of 2.7 million people by handling all NHS 111 and 999 calls for the region, operating patient transport and ambulance response services, delivering training for communities and commercial audiences and providing medical support cover at events.
In 2015/16 the service answered 1.160 million emergency 999 and NHS 111 calls, responded to 295,855 incidents that resulted in a patient being taken to hospital, treated and discharged, 19,949 patients with telephone advice and treated and discharged 85,021 patients at home. In the same year, emergency care crews reached 132,948 Red incidents within the national target of 8 minutes.
Chair of Governors at NEAS Ashley Winter explains, “The Five Year Forward View puts a major focus on NHS organisations involving communities and ensuring we are accountable. Governors are an important group of volunteers who give their valuable time to help shape NHS services and represent their membership among a whole host of other duties.
“Governors bring a valuable perspective and contribution to our activities here at NEAS and importantly, they hold non-executive directors to account for the performance of the board by representing the interests of the public.”
The NEAS Council of Governors hold 4 public meetings each year , where they receive the latest performance reports and have a chance to question the Board .
This year there are Governor positions available at NEAS as follows:
North of Tyne - 5 seats
South of Tyne - 3 seats
Durham - 3 seats
Teesside - 2 seats
The deadline for nominations is 7 September, voting will begin from 22nd September and the close of poll is 17 October and the results will be declared on 18 October.
To find out more information about becoming a governor and how to write a good election statement, two awareness sessions will take place on July 27 at 13.00 in Ambulance HQ and at 17.30 in Darlington Dolphin Centre For details or to book, contact members@neas.nhs.uk or call 0191 430 2263
More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/301286/BriefGuideForGovernors.pdf
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Notes to editors
Media contact: NEAS press office, Tel: 0191 4302099, Email: publicrelations@neas.nhs.uk
NEAS Governor case studies
Michael Glickman, Gateshead
I am originally from Glasgow and, although I have lived in Gateshead with my wife and family for the last 28 years, the accent lingers on. I have been a teacher in a range of schools and have worked as a Children's Centre Development Officer. I am currently Equality and Diversity Adviser within a local authority’s Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service as well as running an independent educational consultancy. My involvement with NEAS goes back over 25 years to Northumbria Ambulance Service days, when I helped found what was probably the first community first responder scheme in the north east. I am still co-ordinator of that scheme and an active first responder. I have continued to develop my interest in pre-hospital care both in theory and practice and am a member of the Pre-Hospital Care Faculty of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. I am also involved in the public health field as a board member of Healthwatch Gateshead and was recently appointed as a lay member of the General Pharmaceutical Council’s statutory committees.
I have been a public governor since NEAS became a foundation trust. I sit on a number of sub-committees and was recently elected Lead Governor. I regard it as great privilege to have been elected to represent the members in the South of Tyne constituency and I want to do my best to ensure that the voices of all residents from all communities are heard by Trust management.
Jane Tomlin
As a permanent wheelchair user, I want to represent all those for whom the Ambulance Service is essential. I live with a long-term disabling condition (Multiple Sclerosis) and this has given me an insight into the vital role of the Ambulance Service for those for whom daily life is a constant challenge. I understand the difficulties that many people face in planning something as simple as a hospital appointment, whether through age, infirmity, vulnerability or because they can’t use public transport. I want to use this experience to benefit all patients by ensuring an Ambulance Service that meets everybody’s needs. I have lived in Wylam for 35 years where I brought up three children. I have always been involved in community activities such as running a Playgroup; serving as a Governor for two schools; and helping organise local charities. I am a member of the MS Society’s Research Network where I provide a user’s voice. For five years I served on the NEAS Public and Patients Involvement Forum where I helped arrange and analyse patient surveys. I know from this just how important the service is in our area and for people like me. I learned about the workings of NEAS and the skills of today’s paramedics.