Who we are
Governors
In this page
Introduction
This means that the Council of Governors is an important link between our local communities and staff, and the Trust Board, which has the responsibility of running the organisation and preparing the Trust’s strategy. The Council of Governors works alongside the Trust’s Board of Directors to help local communities and staff have a greater say in the strategic direction of the Trust, and how services are developed and delivered by the Trust.
The Governor Role
Members can stand and vote in elections to the Trust’s Council of Governors.
The Council of Governors includes public staff and appointed representatives from the local authority and partner organisations. The main roles of Council of Governors as set out by the Government are to represent the interests of the people within their constituency or partner organisation, report feedback on our services and, wherever possible, how they could be improved and to hold Non-Executive Directors to account for the Board’s performance.
In our Trust, the Council of Governors fulfils these roles by:
- Meeting with service users, carers, members and the public in their local community or staff group, to listen to their experiences and ideas and to provide feedback to the Trust, especially if a particular issue is seen as a trend.
- Commenting for the membership on the Board’s strategic direction and annual planning, before it is finalised.
- Participating in Trust initiatives to inform local communities, partner organisations and staff about the Trust’s plans, and celebrate achievements.
- Questioning the Non-Executive Directors about the performance and effectiveness of the Board and its Committees.
- Conducting formal business such as:
- Appointing and, if appropriate, removing the Trust Chair and the Non-Executive Directors.
- Having a say in the appointment of the Chief Executive.
- Approving the appraisal process for the Chair and Non-Executive Directors.
- Appointing and, if appropriate, removing the Trust’s External Auditors.
- Receiving the Trust’s annual report and accounts (once these have been laid before Parliament) in order to understand the Trust’s performance.
- Approving major transactions such as acquisitions, mergers or large tenders.
Our Governors
For more information about the role of the governors, please e-mail trust.secretary@ghc.nhs.uk.
Public Governors

Mick Gibbons
Stroud

Steve Lydon
Stroud

Vacant
Cheltenham

Tussie Myerson
Cheltenham

Penelope Brown
Gloucester

Vacant
Gloucester

Chas Townley
Tewkesbury

Laura Bailey
Tewkesbury

Jenny Hincks
Cotswolds

Peter Gardner
Cotswolds

Marcia Gallagher
Forest of Dean

Chris Witham (Lead Governor)
Forest of Dean

Sarah Waller CBE
Greater England and Wales
Staff Governors

Amy Aitken
Management, administration and other

Martin Pittaway
Management, administration and other

Cath Fern
Medical, Dental and Nursing

Kizzy Kukreja
Medical, Dental and Nursing

Dr Paul Winterbottom
Medical, Dental and Nursing

Michelle Kirk
Health and Social Care Professions

Sarah Nicholson
Health and Social Care Professions
Appointed Governors

Cllr Rebecca Halifax
Gloucestershire County Council

Alicia Wynn
Young Gloucestershire

Bob Lloyd-Smith
Healthwatch Gloucestershire

Andrew Cotterill
Inclusion Gloucestershire
Council of Governor Meetings
Next meeting
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Wednesday 18 September 2024, 10.30pm – 1pm, via MS Teams. To join the meeting, or for further queries, please contact Anna Hilditch, Assistant Trust Secretary at anna.hilditch@ghc.nhs.uk
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Future meetings
- Wednesday 10th July (Development Session)
- Wednesday 18th September
- Wednesday 13th November
Previous meeting papers
2023
2022
- January 2022 (Development Session – no papers available)
- March 2022
- May 2022
- July 2022
- December 2022 papers
How to contact your Governor
You can contact your Governor at any time by the following methods:
- E-mail trust.secretary@ghc.nhs.uk
- Write to: Trust Secretary, Foundation Trust Governors, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, Edward Jenner Court, 1010 Pioneer Avenue, Gloucester Business Park, Brockworth, Gloucester, GL3 4AW.