WIREDGOV

From today foundation trust governors will have the opportunity to comment on a new document designed to help them exercise their statutory duties. The guide has been issued for consultation by Monitor, the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts.

Governors form an integral part of the new governance structure that exists in all NHS foundation trusts. They are elected by an NHS foundation trust’s members to represent its patients and service users, staff and general public. They do not undertake operational management of NHS foundation trusts; rather they provide challenge to the board of directors and collectively hold them to account for the trust’s performance. Governors are responsible for appointing the chair and non-executive directors of the foundation trust’s board of directors.

In 2007 Monitor commissioned research to investigate how well governors were performing in their new role and what challenges they faced. That research told us that, in the area of discharging statutory duties, governors would welcome guidance and support.

Those findings underpin the guide that has been issued for consultation today. It looks at what the statutory powers and duties of governors are, what is required of governors in relation to them and in practice how governors can best meet these challenges.

The consultation on Guide for NHS foundation trust governors: meeting your statutory responsibilities runs for 12 weeks. The deadline for responses is 5pm, Monday 13 July 2009. Monitor intends to publish the final report and a summary of the consultation responses by the end of the summer.

Notes:

1. A copy of the consultation document Guide for NHS foundation trust governors: meeting your statutory responsibilities is available on the consultations section of Monitor’s website: www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk/governors-consultation
2. http://www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk/home/our-publications/browse-category/consultations/monitors-consultations-0 
3. Monitor published a report Developing the role of NHS foundation trust governors and the Survey of NHS foundation trust governors in June 2008. Both reports are available to download from Monitor’s website: http://www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk/home/our-publications/guidance-foundation-trusts/reports/guidance-governors
4. For media enquiries please contact Michael Moruzzi on 020 7340 2438 or michael.moruzzi@monitor-nhsft.gov.uk