Governors & Members

The Northern Care Alliance (NCA) NHS Foundation Trust Council of Governors elections open on 31 July 2023, and we are looking for dedicated Foundation Trust members who are passionate about health and social care and want to make a difference to stand for election as a governor.

What is the role of a Governor?

Governors provide an essential link between the Board of Directors and the communities we serve. Our Governors share the interests and views of our members (Staff and Public) and the wider general public with the Board of Directors which ensures the services we provide, and our future plans and priorities, reflect the needs of our communities.

More details are on on Governor Elections page.

Members' Events, Engagement and Annual Meetings

We are now hosting face to face 'Your Health Matters' event.   Please check back on this page to see our upcoming events, or join here to become a member and hear about these opportunities first via email.

Annual Members' Meeting

The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trusts' AMM was held on Thursday 19th January 2023, 4 pm.  

Our Council of Governors (CoG) is made up of 16 public and nine Staff Governors who've been elected by fellow NCA members. We also have six Appointed Governors who represent the local authorities and universities in Greater Manchester

The CoG meet throughout the year to discuss matters including quality of care, finances and engagement.  Our Governors seek assurance from the Board and Non-Executive Directors at quarterly meetings. 

  Governor responsibilities include:

• Being involved in the recruitment and appointment of Non-Executive Directors, including the Chair
• Deciding the remunerations and allowances, and the other terms and conditions of office, of the Non-Executive Directors
• Appointing or removing the External Auditor
• Being presented with the annual accounts, annual report and any report of the financial auditor
• While preparing the annual plan, the directors shall have regard to the view of the Council of Governors
• Holding non-executive directors to account for performance of the board
• Representing the interests of members and the public

If you have any queries about the role of our Council of Governors, please contact the membership team on membership@nca.nhs.uk or you may wish to read our news on Governor Elections below.

Meet the Governors

If you wish to contact your governor to discuss your feedback, please email the membership team on membership@nca.nhs.uk

To view the Council of Governors document - click here

The NCA Council of Governors was established in January 2022 following a successful election campaign and comprises 19 Public Governors, nine Staff Governors and six appointed Governors. All NCA staff automatically become a member, unless they opt out, and are therefore eligible to stand as a Staff Governor.

The following people were elected as Staff Governors:

Salford:

• Hilary Richardson
• Catherine Collins
• Vacant seat - from January 2023

Oldham:

• Vacant Seat - from July 2023
• Mike Meiarasu 

Rochdale:

• Craig Wood
• Stephen Wall - newly elected

Bury:

• Vacant - from May 2023
• Vacant - from May 2023

Governors' Responsibilities

Governor responsibilities include representing the interests of members (staff and public) and the wider public, contributing to the Trust’s future plans, holding Non-Executive Directors to account for the performance of the Board, and appointing the Chairman and Non-Executive Directors.

Staff governors should be able to commit to attend 10 to 12 meetings a year across the NCA's hospital sites, including 4 x Council of Governor meetings, 4 x Subgroups and 2 x Joint Group Council of Governors/Group Committees in Common meetings. In addition, they'd also be expected to attend training and development sessions over the course of the year.

The Role of Staff Governor

This role is essential to ensure that Trust strategy and direction is shaped by its staff. Staff Governors also ensure the views of our staff are represented.

It's important that those considering standing for Staff Governor vacancies discuss this with their Line Managers in the first instance and that support is granted before a nomination is submitted.

Time Allocation

To carry out this role effectively, Staff Governors will be required to contribute at least four hours per month to undertake their Governor duties.

On occasion, this time commitment might be increased to undertake specific governor duties. One example of this may be if the Staff Governor is a member of the NRTO Committee where there may be an increase in the number of meetings where attendance is required.

Dates for both the Council of Governors, Sub-Group meetings and Governor Training are circulated 12 months in advance and should therefore be shared between Staff Governors and Line Managers providing as much notice as possible.

Guidance for Line Managers

Line Managers should make every reasonable effort to meet requests for Staff Governors to undertake their role. It's noted that, due to department requirements, this may not always be possible. In this event, clear reasons should be given.

The Trust recognises that it can be challenging for staff to be released from their duties. In order to support Staff Governors and their managers to make suitable arrangements, dates of meetings are made available at the beginning of each year.

To access the Governor Portal, please use the link below and enter the password you've been provided with.

Governor Portal

If you've forgotten the password, please contact us at membership@nca.nhs.uk