As a Foundation Trust, we have a Council of Governors who are members of the Trust elected to represent the views and interests of the public, patients and staff, as well as carers and other stakeholders. 

The Council of Governors is made up of 25 people when all posts are filled, bringing a diverse range of experiences and breadth of knowledge to help steer our organisation. They include 14 public governors across our constituencies of Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset/rest of England, as well as five governors from partner organisations and six staff governors. 

The Council of Governors meets regularly and holds the Trust Board to account for its work. 

Governors are available to hear your views or concerns about Dorset HealthCare's services. If you are a member of Dorset Healthcare and would like to contact a governor in your constituency, please click on the link below or email governor and membership manager Sarah Anton.   

Meet our Council of Governors

What do governors do? 

Governors represent the interests of Trust members and influence how the Trust develops in the future. Their formal responsibilities include: 

  • appointing or removing our Chair and Non-Executive Directors 

  • approving the appointment of the Chief Executive 

  • appointing or removing our auditors 

  • receiving key documents including our Annual Report, Quality Report and annual accounts. 

Our Governors have many other important roles, including: 

  • representing the views of members on key issues and consulting them on important matters such as proposed service developments and changes 

  • helping to shape our future strategy and the services we provide  

  • providing feedback on our services so we can continuously improve the patient experience 

  • holding the Trust Board to account for its performance 

  • raising public awareness of our services and promoting membership of the Trust.  

Governors meet four times a year, and at our Annual General Meeting. These meetings are held in public and members of the Trust and of the public are encouraged to attend. This year's meetings will take place on:

  • 16 July - Sentinel House, Poole, 4-6.30pm
  • 19 November - online via MS Teams, 4-6.30pm.

View our Council of Governors meeting archive. (link)

Who can become a Governor – and how? 

All members of the Trust are eligible to stand in elections for the public seats on our Council of Governors, provided they live within the relevant constituency. 

Elections are typically held when a governor's term of office (three years) has ended. Elections are advertised on our website and are also promoted locally. 

If you would like to stand as a governor of Dorset HealthCare you must be a Dorset HealthCare member. Sign up to become a member now. 

Governor elections