Council of Governors

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, like all Foundation Trusts, depends on local people and communities being involved in the decision making process in how we spend our income and in the services we provide.

This year our Annual General Meeting was held on Monday 7 October 2024 at 5.30pm at the Meadow Suite, Park House, University of Reading, Whiteknights Campus, Reading, RG6 6UR with the option to attend physically or via webinar.

Our Annual General Meeting gives the local community a chance to come and hear about their local NHS, including an in-depth look at the Trusts performance for the year 2023/24 and our plans for the future.
We welcomed staff, patients, carers, families and the public to attend. Attendees were also able to see a number of showcasing stands and departments from within the Trust as well as our MEET PEET team that offered free mini health checks.

There was also an opportunity to put questions to the Trust’s Board of Directors at the meeting. 

A recording of the meeting will be published in due course. 

The 2024 Council of Governor elections have now concluded.  You can see the results of the elections in each of the constituencies below:

Contested Election to the Council of Governors September 2024

Uncontested Election to the Council of Governors September 2024

If you are interested in becoming a governor, the next main round of elections to the Council of Governors will take place in the Summer of 2025.  Elections for the current vacancies will be launched in November 2024. 

In the interim, to register interest, please sign up as a member or contact the Membership Foundation Trust Office. 

Further details on the main round of elections for 2025 will be published in April 2025.

Governor.

Public Governor, Reading 

I’ve lived with my family in Tilehurst, Reading for the past 44 years.  Both our children were born at the Trust. Being a Public Governor for the last 7 years is one way I can ‘give back’.

I am a Committee Member of the Royal Berkshire Charity and the Patient Participation Group of my local, Tilehurst Surgery.

From 2013-2017 I was a Trustee of the Portsmouth Sail Training Trust. I have experience in the Merchant Navy as a Radio Officer plus many years as an Electronic Engineer in Technical Training, Sales Support and Managerial roles.

Public Governor, Reading 

I am a publicly elected independent governor for Reading since 8 September 2020.  For most of my adult life I have lived in and around Reading and for the last 25 years, central Reading (Katesgrove). I am a retired senior civil servant and an active member of Reading Patient Voice.  I have been a Trust in-patient.  My role is to represent the concerns of my community, not just my age group, but the whole diverse demography of Reading.

Public Governor, Reading 

I am the Lead Governor. I seek assurance through our Non-Executive Directors about the Board’s performance on patient & staff safety, reducing waiting lists, clinical effectiveness, risk management, and the New Hospital programme and Integrated Care System. I am a member of the Patient Participation Group at my GP surgery and the Reading Patient Voice group, representing our community. I believe in the importance of improving access to healthcare, reducing health inequalities and preventive health measures for better outcomes.

Governor.

Governor.

Public Governor, Wokingham 

Royal Berkshire Hospital is an excellent institution but one that needs to be cared for as demands continually increase and budgets tighten. My experience as a parish councillor, a member of Brookside Patient Participation Group for 25 years, an architect, a director providing care communities for older people and now as a design consultant in a company supplying wide ranging mental health care from specialist schools through to psychiatric intensive care may allow me to represent public interest and help the trust.

Governor. 

Governor.

Governor.

Governor.

Public Governor, West Berkshire & Borders 

Retired dual-qualified nurse Martyn is an active ‘patient voice’ with Berkshire West Cancer Patient Partnership and Thames Valley Cancer Alliance. Martyn is a Trustee with The Reading Almshouse Charity, ClearSky Childrens Charity and with Root & Branch, a mental health charity. He has worked with Samaritans for 35 years and also works with Sue Ryder in Reading and Thatcham. He is committed to the NHS and its founding principles of providing care to all freely at the time of need. Martyn is currently working on a PhD introducing therapeutic humour into adult cancer and palliative care settings

Governor.

Public Governor, West Berkshire & Borders 

I have lived in the Reading area for thirty years, and in Mortimer for twelve years now. I qualified as a Microbiologist, I have worked in medical manufacturing and diagnostics sales and marketing. Retired since 2016, I am currently on the board of the trade association for in-vitro diagnostics manufacturers and suppliers, and as well as being a Governor for the Trust, I am vice-chair of the Patient Participation Group for Mortimer Surgery. I also drive for the Burghfield and Mortimer Volunteers.

Public Governor, South Oxfordshire 

In 2008 I joined the Trust Patient Panel and subsequently the Diabetes Governance Committee as patient representative on which I served for 12 years. I have been a Parish Councillor for around 7/8 years and I am a member of my local surgery’s Patient Participation Group. My professional background is that of the Consulting Civil/Structural Engineer having been joint Senior Partner of a nationwide practice during which time I was involved in the design and construction of various health projects including hospitals.

Partner Governor. Appointed by Integrated Care Board (SEND) 

I am a Designated Clinical Officer for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (0-25) for Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board, in the Berkshire West area.  I qualified as a Children’s Nurse in 2003, worked as a staff nurse with Health Visitors in Windsor before transferring to Reading to complete my Health Visiting training in 2006.  I worked in Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust including as a Named Nurse for Safeguarding and School Nurse before moving to the ICB in 2021 as Clinical Advisor for Children and Young People.

Governor. Appointed by West Berkshire Council.

Partner Governor, Appointed by Autism Berkshire

Darren Browne is the chair of Lagonda Studios, an organisation he founded to help develop film studios. He was the individual who came up with the concept for Shinfield Studios in Berkshire on behalf of the University of Reading. He was a founding director of Shinfield Studios, which brings in c£500m of annual inward investment into Berkshire.

Previously, Darren was the Managing Director of Hays Technology, receiving autism and dyspraxia diagnoses as an adult becoming a champion of Neurodiversity.

Darren is a Trustee of Autism Berkshire and Berkshire Community Foundation.

Darren lives in Caversham with his wife Sonia and has 4 adult children.

Governor. Appointed by Reading Borough Council. 

Partner Governor, Appointed by Wokingham Borough Council

I have lived in Wokingham for 25 years with my wife. We have 3 children who were all born in Royal Berkshire Hospital. During the first delivery my wife lost 10 units of blood and had to receive 9 units of blood. We are forever grateful of the actions taken by the doctors and nurses that day.

I am an experienced IT professional, and currently local Wokingham Town Councillor and Borough Councillor. Currently I am the chair of the Health and Overview Scrutiny Committee of Wokingham Borough Council.

Partner Governor, University of Reading 

Paul joined the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust as a Partner Governor in 2024.  He has previously worked in the NHS as a clinical psychologist and is now an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Reading.  His academic and clinical interests are around mental health and disordered eating and, outside of work, he enjoys running and travelling.

Staff Governor: Admin/Management

Staff Governor: Medical/Dental

Tom is a Consultant Anaesthetist and has worked at the Royal Berkshire Hospital since 2019. In addition to his Governor role he is also a Patient Safety Incident Investigator and a participant within a Trust wide data group. Although specifically a Governor for the medical and dental staff group he is here to represent all staff and happy to hear from visitors, patients and staff alike. Outside of his clinical work Tom enjoys cycling. 

Staff Governor: Allied Health Professionals/Scientific

Staff: Nursing/Midwifery.

Staff Governor: Health Care Assistant and Ancillary 

Volunteer Governor

Qualified as a dental surgeon in 1974. Following a series of hospital posts in oral and maxillofacial surgery and paediatric dentistry, moved into community dentistry in London and West Sussex.  After postgraduate qualification in dental public health, appointed as Assistant District Dental Officer for East and West Berkshire, becoming Clinical Director in 1993, also for a time Medical Director of the East Berkshire Community Health NHS Trust.  After retiring in 2011, served for several years on the Berkshire NHS Research Ethics Committee. Now chairman of the Royal Berks Hospital medical museum, and researcher in medical and architectural history.

Youth Governor