The Trust has appointed its first governor to represent the views of patients living outside of the Birmingham area.

Dr John Cadle, a visiting lecturer at the University of Birmingham, was appointed represent the newly established "Rest of England" constituency on the Council of Governors (CoG) in June and  will serve to reflect the views and interests of those patients who travel to the hospital for treatment from the wider region and beyond.

The creation of the new constituency reflects the growing numbers of patients choosing to come to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) for specialist care. It's made up of more than 400 members of the public who had registered an interest in the Trust but weren’t eligible for membership as they were not a patient, a member of staff or did not live in one of the public constituencies which correspond to Birmingham’s parliamentary wards.

The CoG aims to serve the needs of members by influencing decision making and championing the views of their constituents. Governors also appoint the Chairman and non-executive directors and approve the appointment of the Chief Executive.

Staff governors

In addition to Dr Cadle’s post, a number of staff governors have also been elected to the Council of Governors.

The role of a staff governor is to ensure that the views of the staff group you represent are considered when the Board of Directors develops plans by acting as an interface between the staff members and the Trust.

Staff governors appointed:

• Susan Price, Clinical Scientist/Allied Health Professionals
• Margaret Garbett, Nursing (replaces Barbara Tassa)
• Helen Hackett, Nursing (replaces Erica Perkins)
• Tom Gallacher, Medical
• Patrick Moore, Corporate and Support Services Staff