Get Involved

Becoming a Member of the Trust

Residents and patients in areas served by an NHS Foundation Trust, as well as staff, can register as members of the organisation.

Membership allows local communities to have social ownership of their NHS Foundation Trust. Membership numbers are increasing all the time, strengthening the links between hospitals and the local community.

Members are able to stand and vote in elections for Governors of the NHS Foundation Trust and can expect to receive regular information about the Trust and be consulted on plans for its services and future development.

NHS Foundation Trusts have a duty to engage with local communities and encourage local people to become members and ensure that the membership is representative of the communities they serve. They need to demonstrate that the full range of potential members' interests is represented, and there is a proper balance between different groups.

• Becoming a member

  Membership of an NHS Foundation Trust is open to local residents and staff. WWL NHS Foundation Trust also provides membership opportunities for people who live outside the area but have been patients or carers at one of the Trust's hospitals, or for whom may just have a general interest in the work we do as an organization. There is no limit to the number of people who can register as members providing they meet the eligibility criteria below:
  
  Members must live within the following areas - Wigan, Leigh, Makerfield or the rest of England & Wales, and also be over 16 years of age.

• What does being a member mean?

  Members of an NHS Foundation Trust have a number of important roles to perform. Becoming a member will enable you to become really involved with the future of the hospital.
  
  Members are able to:
  Elect representatives to the Council of Governors
  Stand for election to the Council of Governors

   

• Will being a member take up a lot of extra time?

  No, not necessarily. Becoming a member is voluntary, completely free of charge and without obligation - meaning how much or how little involvement you have is completely at your own discretion.
  Members are able to give their views on relevant issues for Governors to act on. However, Governors will not champion individual issues – their role is to assist the organisation on a strategic level working closely alongside the Trust's Executives and Non-Executives.