Make your mark—cast your vote

28 February 2006

Elections have now started for the Members’ Council of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust—which will ‘go live’ later this year subject to approval from the regulatory body, Monitor.

Elections have now started for the Members’ Council of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust—which will ‘go live’ later this year subject to approval from the regulatory body, Monitor.

Almost 7,000 people who have signed up to be members of the hospital now have a unique opportunity to cast their vote to choose who they would like to sit on the Council.

Chief Executive, Heather Lawrence, urged people to vote. She said: “A driving force behind NHS Foundation Trusts is the active participation of local people, patients and staff—the Members’ Council will play a crucial role in making sure this happens and that your voice is heard.

“I would ask all of our Foundation Trust members to vote in these elections because whoever is elected in each category will be your voice on the Members’ Council.”

As a Foundation Trust, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital will be more accountable to the local community and its staff through its membership and the new Members’ Council.

The Council will work with the Board of Directors as a ‘critical friend’, helping to shape the way the Trust develops services in coming years. It will have 34 members and a chairperson. This includes 10 patient members, eight public members (two each from the boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth and City of Westminster) and six staff members drawn from all areas of the hospital. It will also include 10 representatives from partnership organisations.

In total 34 people have nominated themselves to be patient and public members of the Council. But before people make their final vote, special ‘meet the candidate’ events are being held. These are on Thursday 9 March from 12.30pm to 2.00pm in the Fry Seminar Room on Lord Wigram Ward on the 5th Floor and from 6.30 to 8.00pm in the Academic Atrium. The events are open to patients, public and foundation trust members.

Ballot papers to elect patient and public members to the Council have been sent to those who signed up as Foundation Trust members by February 16. The deadline for returning your voting papers to Electoral Reform Services is Tuesday 21 March.

Notes to editors

  • Chelsea and Westminster will become a Foundation Trust later this year if approval is given by regulatory body, Monitor.
  • A total of 15 staff from across the hospital have nominated themselves to stand as candidates in the elections for the Council which will play a crucial role in the life of our new Foundation Trust. Staff candidates are split into six professional categories to ensure representation from across the hospital – staff voting in the elections can only vote for candidates in their professional category.
  • The 10 partnership organisations include Imperial College, Thames Valley University, Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Hospital NHS Trust, Kensington and Chelsea Primary Care Trust, Westminster PCT, Hammersmith and Fulham PCT, Wandsworth PCT, Royal Borough of Chelsea and Westminster and City of Westminster.
Contributors
George Vasilopoulos