Many of us think of taking up different interests as we start a new year. Why not consider being one of our Governors? It means you could play a real part in helping to shape our services for women of all generations and babies and be our link with your community?
Our governors come from diverse backgrounds but have one thing in common - they are really interested in what we do, relaying that to their communities and having a "voice" in how we can best serve local families.
Take Pat Jones. She worked in the NHS for 46 years, first as a community nurse and then as a senior manager. Now retired, she has become our lead governor because she is passionate about women's health. Her role will mean ensuring the local population has an understanding of what we do and how our money and time are used. She also hopes to tighten the already strong bond between the hospital, its staff and patients. Pat thinks women are still a minority group and their general health is extremely important to her as it is to us. "A healthy woman means happy and healthy families" says Pat. I couldn't agree more.
Being a governor means being active on committees and in focus groups and carrying out duties such as monitoring the Trust's performance and consulting on strategic plans.
In addition to governors, we have 12,000 members from all walks of life. We regularly seek their opinions and they too have an important say in shaping the future of our Trust and how we provide our services.
Being an NHS Foundation Trust means that we are officially regulated, assessed and approved just like any other ordinary NHS Trust - but we operate independently outside of central government control. That means we can run the organisation in line with our members’ views and through them the views of our community - which is why our members and governors are so important to us. With their help, we can make decisions that respond directly to local needs and design our services to meet them.
If you are interested in becoming a member or a governor, you can find out more by calling Mark Roberts, our communications and membership officer on 0151-702-4372 or email mark.roberts@lwh.nhs.uk
I hope you will think about it - and then perhaps we will meet in the future!
*Two events are being held where you can find out more about being a governor. The first will be held in North Liverpool on Tuesday, 31, January at 5.30pm at Liverpool Community College, Bankfield Road, Liverpool L13 0BQ. The second will be in Knowsley on Wednesday, 8 February at 5.30pm at the Huyton Suite, Civic Way, Poplar Bank, Huyton, L36 9GD.