Membership Matters

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

March 2025

On 6 March, we held our Membership Constituency meeting for Members who live in the East Coast constituency. It was held at Scarborough General Hospital and was attended by 30 people – the most of any of our first round of constituency meetings. We followed the same format as the previous meetings, and this time there were a lot of questions raised which I and the Governors did our best to answer. I thought it was very worthwhile meeting and I hope that those attending also considered it was worthwhile investing their time to come along. We will start the second year of constituency meetings (probably) in May. I apologise that our intention for Members to attend the meeting using MS Teams did not happen for technical reasons.

In my previous article I mentioned that the new National Planning Guidance had been published. With less than four weeks to go to the start of the new financial year, negotiations and discussions are continuing to clarify the amount of funds available to the Trust in order to achieve the ambitions that we have been set to reduce waiting times, numbers of patients waiting for surgery, first outpatient appointments, and diagnostic tests. In the next edition of Membership Matters, I hope I will be able to inform you about the obligations the Trust is required to achieve.

In a previous article I have mentioned that our joint top priority is to improve what it feels like to our work for the Trust. In other words, to ensure our organisation enables our people to give of their best, feel valued, supported to develop their careers, and enjoy their work.

Very shortly, the results of the NHS staff survey, including ours, will be published. They reveal again that we have a massive amount to do to achieve the ambition I have described. It is our intention to start adopting in 2025 a systemic approach to continuous improvement. This will empower our workforce and ensuring a modern philosophy of leading teams and services exists throughout the Trust, not just in some of them.

Thank you for your on-going interest in the Trust.

With my best wishes

Martin Barkley 

Governor elections

The search is on to recruit new public governors to help influence the future of our Trust’s health services. We have vacancies in the following constituencies:

• East Coast of Yorkshire (2 vacancies)
• Ryedale and East Yorkshire (3 vacancies)
• Selby (1 vacancy)

If you are interested in becoming a governor and would like to find out more about the role, please email [email protected].

You can also visit the Trust website for more information on governor elections.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Tuesday 18 March.

Our Trust Strategy: Towards Excellence

Our new Trust strategy, ‘Towards Excellence’, was approved by the Board at its January meeting.

During 2024, the Board committed to refreshing the Trust’s strategy, and developed proposals for a new purpose, ambition, and strategic objectives.

A collaborative approach was taken throughout the strategy’s development. The initial proposals developed by the Board were shared at a timeout day for Board members, senior leaders, and representatives from partner organisations. At this session, the Trust’s previous purpose, ambition, and strategic objectives were reviewed, and the new proposals were discussed and further developed. This collaborative approach continued throughout the development of the strategy, with proposals developed through workshops with a range of staff groups, which were then shared for further feedback.

This included a number of workshops and discussions with the Council of Governors. A final draft was shared with all staff throughout November 2024 for comment, and was also shared with leaders from system partner organisations who were invited to give feedback before the final strategy was ratified by the Board.

Progress on delivery of the strategy will be supported by a strategic scorecard. This will provide a structured framework for monitoring progress towards achieving the Trust’s strategic objectives. This scorecard will align metrics and trajectory targets with the long-term goals outlined in the strategy, offering a clear and visual method for the Board and leadership teams to track if we are meeting our strategic objectives.

The strategy is available on the Trust website. Thank you to the Governors for your input into the strategy’s development.

Start 2025 with a challenge for charity

Looking for an adventure in 2025? Take on an exciting challenge and make a difference by supporting York & Scarborough Hospitals Charity. Whether you're a walker, runner, or swimmer, there's an event perfect for you!

Great North Swim

Friday 13 - Sunday 15 June 2025

Windermere, Lake District

Yorkshire Three Peaks

Saturday 19 July 2025

Yorkshire Dales

York 10K

Sunday 3 August 2025

The Knavesmire, York

Great North Run

Sunday 7 September 2025

Newcastle Upon Tyne

Yorkshire Coast 10K

Sunday 19 October 2025

Scarborough

Ready to take the leap? Visit www.YSHospitalsCharity.org/challenge to find out more and register for one of these incredible events.

Get involved

Public Council of Governors meetings

These meetings are held throughout the year and give you the chance to see first-hand the workings of the Council of Governors speaking up and representing the views of their constituents.

The Council of Governors acts as the voice of the community, ensuring local people have a say in the running of their hospital. Governors are either elected by member of the Trust or appointed by appropriate stakeholder partners, which includes nominated representatives from the Local Authority, University, and other partner organisations.

You can read all about your local governors on our website. If you would like to contact any of the governors, email [email protected], including the name of the governor you wish to contact. 

The next meeting takes place on Thursday 13 March 2025. See all governor meeting times on our website.

Public Board of Directors meetings

These are held every other month and give you the opportunity to observe the Board of Directors on how decisions are made and what the challenges are of managing a NHS Trust.

Upcoming dates:

• Wednesday 26 March 2025, 9am
• Wednesday 30 April 2025, 9.30am
• Wednesday 21 May 2025, 9am

More details on Board of Directors Meetings can be found here.

Star Award finalists

All our staff and volunteers deserve recognition - but there are many that go above and beyond the call of duty to make the Trust a better service - with hard work, exciting new ideas and simply by putting patients first. Click here to read why they were nominated and learn how they made a difference. If you would like to nominate someone for a Star Award complete the online form.

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