Charity Governor Member Opportunities - Essex

St Andrew’s Healthcare is a thriving Charity with a proud history of helping individuals with mental health needs find hope. St Andrew’s is the country’s largest charitable provider of specialist mental healthcare and helps patients with some of the most complex, challenging mental health needs. The Northampton hospital opened in 1838, and it has built a reputation for transforming the lives of those affected with the most challenging of situations. Over 185 years later, the charitable purpose has remained almost unchanged: to relieve suffering, give hope and promote recovery. The Charity provides a range of services tailored to individuals living with complex mental health needs, both in hospital and in the community. 

Governor Member Role

The role of Members (often referred to as Governors) within St Andrew’s is similar to that of an owner or shareholder, in that they have collective responsibility for how the Charity is run and do this by holding the Board of Directors/Trustees to account. Governors support in the achievement of the Charity’s Vision of “Imagining a society in which everyone living with mental health need is heard, valued and has a hope for their future” and its 2028 Mission of being a local, regional  national and international leader in helping people with complex mental health need transform their lives.

All Governors are unpaid, and their main role is to know that the Charity:

• Has a clear strategy and defined goals and objectives against which to measure performance
• Prioritises patient outcomes
• Is well run
• Makes the best of its resources
• Is open and accountable.

The Charity now has a number of classes of Governors: Full-time; Fixed-Term and Constituency Governors (Carer, Staff, Lived Experience and Community).

Our current need

1. We are currently seeking applicants for a new Community Governor role from within the communities surrounding our three main hospital locations, Essex, Birmingham and Northampton. Applicants should be representative of their local communities and may be involved in healthcare, education or community volunteering activities. Appointments will be for between one and three year initial terms and can be extended if agreed between the Governor and the Charity.

2. We are currently seeking applicants for our new fixed term Governor roles. Appointments will be for an initial three year term and may be extended if agreed between the Governor and the Charity. 

Application Closing Date: 7 September 2025

Interviews will be held on 27th & 30th October 2025

Meetings

The Court of Governors (Members) meets at least four times per year, with one being the Annual General Meeting (AGM). All meetings of the are usually planned at least a year in advance, with formal notice of the AGM being issued in writing at least 14 days in advance.

At the AGM, Governor Members:

• Receive accounts for the previous financial year
• Receive the Directors’ report
• Accept retirements, appoint Directors and the Chairman for the coming year and confer thanks and honorary titles
• Deal with any other matters raised with them.

At the scheduled (quarterly) meetings of the Court of Governors, attendees will be presented with papers and reports on the following:

• Chair update
• CEO Report
• Quality Update
• Financial Performance Report
• Governor Assurance Reports
• Governor Visit Reports

Time Commitment

Overall, the Charity has an expectation that Governors will be required to give a total of at least 12 days per annum of their time attending meetings and engaging in other activities for and on behalf of the Charity. Governors will be required to:

• Attend at least two Governors meetings per year, with one being the AGM.
• Undertake Ward or service visits, at least two visits each year.
• Engage in other activities to support the Charity, to be agreed with the Charity.

Governors may also be asked to attend Charity Committees or Groups. If this is the case, some flexibility will be applied regarding their ward or service visits, as their contributions to the Charity are made in a different manner, however, it's important to emphasise that Governor visits remain a crucial means of gathering frontline staff feedback and utilising knowledge from Committee/Group meetings. 

It is preferred for all Governors to have a St Andrew’s email account to ensure they have access to Charity-wide communications, such as the ‘Must Read’ newsletters and the ‘Must Watch’ videos to keep informed. 

Additional Responsibilities

The Charity is keen to ensure that its Governors play an active role within the Charity and is looking for Governors who make an active contribution by bringing their skills and experiences to the role. There are several ways in which Governors can get involved with the Charity, such as:

• Undertaking Ward or Service visits and feeding back information to the Charity to improve patient or carer experience
• Being involved with the Patient Experience Team to ensure that the patient voice is heard
• Attend BENS Patient Forum and Governance Groups or Committee meetings
• Attend the Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee
• Engage with the Charity’s Carer Strategy, to develop the carer experience
• Supporting the Charity’s Voluntary Services programme
• Becoming a “befriender” to one of the Charity’s patients
• Helping at the patients’ social club and with other activities
• Mentoring senior staff
• Supporting fund raising
• Promoting the Charity within their networks
• Offering skills and/or experience to the Charity as a “critical friend”
• Other activities where a Governor could offer specific skills and experience.

Person Specification

Any successful candidate for any of the classes of Governor is likely to possess some of the following:

Experience and Understanding

• Worked at a senior level in the health or commercial sector ideally in a customer facing organisation or service sector
• An understanding of, or worked in a senior capacity in the private, public or voluntary sectors
• An appreciation of the requirements and constraints of running an organisation with charitable status, and which needs to meet high standards of accountability within a regulated sector
• Current or recent experience of a mental health organisation, which may include personal or carer experience
• Professional experience, such as Medical/Clinical (ideally mental health), Finance, Risk and Audit, Investments, Property or Estates, HR and Talent Management, Education and Academia, property or law, Technology, IT and Cyber, Legal, Fundraising, Research, Volunteering.

Personal Attributes

• Commitment to the ethos of St Andrew’s Healthcare. Governors should have a high degree of empathy with and understanding of what the Charity seeks to do and how it seeks to do it
• Good communication skills and the ability to relate to a wide range of people and constituencies, both inside and outside the Charity
• Good influencing skills, in relation to Members of the Court of Governors, the Board and the Executive
• Capability to operate effectively and constructively beyond their own area of expertise, with willingness to learn
• Effective strategic and political skills with an understanding of how to influence key decision-makers
• Commitment to equal opportunities and the promotion of diversity
• Independence of thought and judgement with personal integrity
• Ability to work as a team member
• Ability to play a strategic role to effect change successfully
• Ability to evaluate and interpret information independently.

If you would like any more information about these opportunities, please contact our Recruitment Team at recruitment@stah.org.