The Patient Council is established under the direction of the Trust Board of Weston Area Health NHS Trust.
The purpose of the Patient Council is to work with the Trust to improve services provided by the Trust for the patients and the communities served.
This purpose is achieved by:
The voting Members will be appointed to the Council through a formal application and selection process in order to gain representation of the patients and the communities served. There will be a maximum of 16 voting Members.
The term of office of any voting Member appointed shall be 3 years from the year in which they become a Member, and to be automatically renewed if required. Appointments are renewable for one further term of office.
In attendance there will be :
The Chairman and Vice Chairman will be elected from within the Council following a closed ballot by the voting Members and will hold office for a term of two or three years to ensure representation is staggered.
The Chairman and Vice Chairman may be asked to step down by the voting Members following a closed majority ballot.
The Chairman and Vice Chairman may resign in writing at any time.
The Chairman will have a non-voting seat on the Weston Area Health NHS Trust Board, and will be represented by the Vice Chairman in case of absence.
Vice Chairmanship will not entitle the post-holder to automatic promotion to Chairman.
All Members appointed to the Patient Council must undergo a Criminal Records Bureau check via the Trust's Human Resources Department.
Voting Members may resign in writing, to the Chairman, at any time.
If it is deemed by voting Members that any individual has behaved in an unacceptable or disruptive manner, the individual will be asked to leave the Council following a majority vote of no confidence.
The quorum shall be one half, excluding any vacancies, of the complete voting membership, one of whom must be the Chairman or Vice Chairman, rounded up to a whole number. If during the course of a meeting it becomes unquorate, the meeting may continue but no further decisions can be made.
The Council will meet monthly or otherwise as agreed;
The Council will be serviced by the Trust.
The Patient Council will report to the Trust's Quality and Governance Committee.
The Terms of Reference will be reviewed annually by the Council and the Board. Date of next review, September 2013, unless otherwise determined by the Council
The function of the Patients Council and its Terms of Reference.
Lead Chairman of the Patients Council
Tools Self Assessment
Frequency Annual Basis
Reporting Arrangements The Patient Council will provide regular briefings on its activities to the Trust Board.
Date approved by Committee / Group: 11 October 2012
Date accepted by Weston Trust Board: 6 November 2012
Date due for Review:
Date Reviewed: