Annual Report and Accounts - The Great Western Hospital

5.8 Membership
5.8.1 Membership
The Trust is accountable to local people who can become members of the Trust. Members share
their views and influence the way in which the Trust is run.
The Trust’s membership is made up of local people, patients and staff who have an interest in
healthcare and their local health care services and these are broken down into two groups with
different criteria.
5.8.2 Public Members
Public members include patients, carers and interested members of the public. Public members are
aged 12 and over who live in the geographical area of the Trust.
Public members are placed in constituencies based on where they live. Originally there were three
constituencies created on Authorisation as a Foundation Trust in 2008 to reflect the Trust’s
catchment area. However, as the area of the Trust expanded in 2011/12 following the transition of
community services in Wiltshire, the West Berkshire, Gloucester and Oxfordshire constituency was
enlarge to accommodate the additional areas, becoming the West Berkshire, Oxfordshire,
Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset Constituency on 1 June 2011. That constituency
was subsequently split out on 8 August 2011 to better reflect local communities, resulting in the
following public constituencies: -
• Swindon,
• Wiltshire,
• West Berkshire and Oxfordshire,
• Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset.
The Trust is continuing to review its public constituencies. In 2012/13 the Wiltshire Constituency will
be split out into three constituencies (northern, central and southern Wiltshire constituencies).
5.8.3 Staff Members
Staff members include Trust employees, Carillion Health employees and volunteers. The Trust has
strong links with the local community, with over 500 volunteers. These persons automatically
become members when:
• they are employed by the Trust under a contract of employment which has no fixed term or
has a fixed term of at least 12 months; or
• they have been continuously employed by the Trust under a contract of employment for at
least 12 months; or
• they are employed by a designated subcontractor (i.e. Carillion Health) who otherwise
exercise functions for the purpose of the Trust provided they have exercised these functions
continuously for a period of 12 months; or
• they are designated volunteers who assist the Trust on a voluntary basis and have been doing
so for at least 12 months.
Trust staff may opt-out of membership if they wish.
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