Council of Governors elections 2025
Council of Governors elections will commence on 16 January 2025 to elect both public and staff governors.
Our public and staff governors are elected by the membership and are responsible for representing the interests of Foundation Trust members, our patients and community.
The Council is made up of 30 governors, plus a Chair who is also the Chair of the Board of Directors.
There are 16 elected public governors, six elected staff governors, and eight governors appointed by local organisations that the Trust works closely with.
Our governors are very important to the Trust; they play a fundamental role in improving services, advising the Trust about the needs of our community and staff, and hold our non-executive directors to account.
Vacancies
We have vacancies for both public and staff governors in the following constituencies.
Public constituency
- Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire: 1
- Cherwell: 1
- Oxford City: 1
- Northamptonshire and Warwickshire: 1
- South Oxfordshire: 1
- Vale of White Horse: 1
- West Oxfordshire: 1
- Rest of England and Wales: 1
Staff constituency
- Staff - Clinical: 2
- Staff - Non-clinical: 1
Election process
Every public member living in the constituencies above; and staff members in the clinical and non-clinical constituency will have a right to vote and stand for the role of governor in the constituency that they live in.
Candidates will be given the opportunity to provide an election statement consisting of no more than 250 words, to introduce themselves to members and why they wish to join the Council of Governors, and what qualities they could bring to the role.
Elections are conducted independently of the Trust by a company with expertise in running local government elections and elections for other Foundation Trusts. UK Engage will run these elections, to ensure that they take place completely impartially. Nominations and ballot papers are handled by them, and they send out information to all members to enable them to vote (including the candidates' statements relevant to each voter's constituency).
To participate in the election as a candidate or voter you must be a member of the Trust or be a staff member in the clinical or non-clinical constituency on or before the closing date for the receipt of nominations which is Monday 3 February 2025.
Foundation Trust membership - Oxford University Hospitals
Information sessions
We will be holding information sessions for staff and members of the public, on the role of a governor and the election process.
Horton General Hospital
Monday 20 January 2025 7.00pm - 8.30pm
Horton General Hospital, Oxford Road, Banbury OX16 9AL
How to find the Horton General Hospital
John Radcliffe Hospital
Tuesday 21 January 2025 7.00pm - 8.30pm
John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU
How to find the John Radcliffe Hospital
Online
Wednesday 22 January 2025 7.00pm - 8.30pm
Online via MS Teams
To sign up for information sessions
To sign up to attend a session or for more information, please contact us.
Email: ouhmembers@ouh.nhs.uk
Tel: 01865 231472
Timetable
The timetable that the elections will follow is below.
Timeline of Elections |
Date |
Last day for publication of Notice of Elections |
16 January 2025 |
Deadline for receipt of nominations |
3 February 2025 |
Publication of Statement of Nominations |
4 February 2025 |
Deadline for candidate withdrawals |
6 February 2025 |
Notice of Poll / Issue of ballot packs |
18 February 2025 |
Close of Poll |
13 March 2025 5.00pm |
Count and Declaration of Result |
14 March 2025 |
Induction
Once elected, governors will take part in an induction programme which will include information about their role, learning from the experience of other governors, and clarity about their responsibilities and those which are exercised by the Board of Directors.
Contact UK Engage
You can request a paper nomination form, or complete the form online via the election website from 16 January 2025.
The link below will go live on 6 January 2025.
Oxford University Hospitals Governors Election | UK Engage
The deadline for completed nominations is 5.00pm on Monday 3 February 2025.
If you have any queries, please contact UK Engage.
Tel: 0345 209 3770
Email: ouh@uk-engage.org
Useful documents
Constitution for Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (pdf)
So you are thinking about becoming a governor… (pdf) - NHS Providers
Last reviewed:29 November 2024