Dale Hall, one of the volunteer public governors in our Northern constituency, explains why he decided to become a governor and what the role means to him.

For more information about being a Governor and opportunities to join our Council of Governors, please visit our Governor elections page, here.

How long have you been a public Governor?

I was elected in September 2022.

Why did you become a public Governor?

I believe in democracy and accountability in public life and, as a lifelong social researcher and academic, I wanted to use my generic skills and experience to do something active and worthwhile alongside like-minded colleagues.

The NHS faces big challenges and change is necessary; but it has to be the right sort of change achieved by the right sort of management. Financial effectiveness and probity are crucial for trusts, but so is being a caring organisation that communicates well with its users and public, while also listening to them.

How would you describe the role? What kind of things do you do?

The key general objectives for governors are to represent the interests of their local communities and to hold the trust board and non-executive directors to account. In practice, that means reading a lot of emails and documents and attending important meetings in order to ask the right questions of the right people. One needs to be both curious and confident enough to ask questions (and supplementary questions!), to probe and find out whether problems are being addressed effectively.

Governors observe the monthly board meetings of the trust directors and collectively they assess whether the non-executive directors (NEDs) are working effectively to protect the public interest. In addition, governors meet together in various committees and in the Council of Governors to consider documents, policies and developments. The role of governor is not fixed and unchangeable: you can help to shape expectations by being actively involved.

While we do not deal with complaints, governors are asked to raise issues of general concern about the NHS in their communities: for example, I have been asked to pass on comments to the trust about the industrial action, the importance of protecting women’s spaces in the context of the current gender debates, and the value of the My Care system.

Can anyone become a public Governor? Who would you recommend for the role?

Governors need to be confident in handling emails and electronic documents of some length. There is a wide range of governors from many different backgrounds and with different interests, skills and experience. To become a governor it is necessary to become a ‘member’ of the trust – and it is easy to set up.

Governors should have a real interest in their local NHS and be good listeners, willing to learn what they do not know, but also confident enough to rely on their judgement and experience to ask probing questions and put forward ideas.

What do you enjoy about the role? How does it benefit you?

Above all, being a governor makes me better informed about the issues facing our trust and the NHS in general. It’s good to know what’s going on and both challenging and rewarding to contribute alongside others who are equally motivated. The governors try to work as a team to share their knowledge and insights – and that is very satisfying.

What is the time commitment like, and how do you manage that?

It helps to be retired, yet it’s very important that people of working age join as governors. The time commitment varies, depending upon how active you want to be and how many documents you want to read.

The Council of Governors meets four times a year with a full agenda, and there are three or four governor development days per year. Each month there is a Trust board meeting that can be observed online or by being present. Governor committee meetings mainly happen online, which reduces the time and travel commitment considerably.

The role can be satisfying and challenging, but it should not be a sinecure because the NHS is too important for that.

From your experience, what do you wish you knew before you joined?

Before I became a governor, I had little idea of how the governance structure of a foundation trust works, so there has been a lot to learn in my first year. I didn’t understand how the governors are one element of ‘democracy’ in the complex organization of the trust. I’ve tried to focus on what’s most important in the manifold data sources available to governors.