Longest standing governor leads the way
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) has appointed Carol Coleman, for Dover and Deal, as new lead governor. As KCHFT’s longest standing public governor, Carol was appointed following a vote by the Council of Governors and will serve three years as lead governor.
KCHFT staff governor and Head of Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response, Jan Allen, was elected as deputy lead governor.
KCHFT Chair John Goulston said: “I’d like to congratulate Carol, one of our most experienced public governors, on being appointed the position of Lead Governor and thank David Price, former Lead Governor for all of his hard work. I look forward to working closely with Carol and the council during the next three-year term on some important topics.”
Carol said: “I am pleased to have been appointed to the role of lead governor by my colleagues. I look forward to supporting all the staff and public elected governors, to offer the best representation possible for the trust.”
On Friday, 24 April, Carol also joined fellow governors to welcome newly elected public governors Tilly Harris, Thanet and Alison Fisher, Maidstone. The governors met with KCHFT staff and colleagues to learn more about how they will be supported in their role within the trust.
Tilly Harris said: “I am excited to get stuck in to my new role as public governor for Thanet and to be able to give back to KCHFT who has helped me a lot with my own health problems. I am particularly interested in mental health and accessibility for young people and making sure they have access to the right information in formats that suit them.”
Alison became a public governor to make sure KCHFT is the best it can be for her community of Maidstone. She explains: “I have been a governor for a community trust before and it is the area of health care that interests me the most as it impacts most people and I want to make sure that our community is getting the best care possible.”
Brian Grove, who was elected as public governor for Swale, could not attend as he is in Ukraine helping support those who have been forced to flee their homes because of the conflict. Carol Coleman, Dover and Deal and John Woolgrove, out of area are set to serve another term as public governor as their positions were uncontested; while retired nurse Ruth Davis for Tonbridge and Malling was successfully re-elected.
John added: “It was great to meet our newly elected public governors at the induction event. They bring with them a breadth of experience and expertise that will add huge value to our already strong council of public governors.”
Each public governor represents one of the 12 local authority areas in Kent, plus one governor to represent the rest of England. They form KCHFT’s Council of Governors and are elected by trust members in their area to represent the interests of the public, giving local people, patients, staff and partners greater opportunity to be involved in the development of community services.
