Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Governors Piotr Spadlo and Janet Miller both attended the Governor Focus Conference at the Kia Oval in London on Tuesday 23 May.
Both had a brilliant day, at the famous old Test cricket venue in Kennington, Lambeth – which also hosted England's first international football match and the first FA Cup final.
Over 250 governors were there on the day, convening for the first time since 2019, and after a warm welcome from NHS Providers Chair Sir Ron Kerr, a number of sessions were held.
There was a national policy update – Setting the scene – from NHS Providers Chief Executive Sir Julian Hartley, who provided a key overview of the pressing issues facing the provider sector, with a particular emphasis on those areas of greatest concern to councils of governors.
An open discussion followed, on Diversity, inclusion and health inequalities: The role of governors.
Based on conversations with Trust leaders, NHS Providers believe three key elements are needed for more meaningful change - Encouraging hearts and minds change by building personal awareness and understanding of racism within the NHS; Giving leaders confidence and capability to act through examples and actionable insights; and Sharing evidence-based approaches and data that embed accountability at board.
Next up was ‘The governor role in a sustained crisis’ – a session which delved into how governors could support their trusts by being good critical friends to their board and evaluating the performance of the board in this environment.
There was also a Q&A to give governors an opportunity to discuss key areas of concerns what support looks like.
Those present were then joined by six Governance Focus Showcase finalists, who had a chance to exhibit the inspiring work they've been doing in their Trusts and network with delegates.
