Our Governors

The statutory duties of the Council of Governors are:

• to hold the Trust's non-executive directors individually and collectively to account for the performance of the Board of Directors.
• to represent the interests of the members of the trust as a whole and the interests of the public.
• to appoint the Chair and other non-executive directors and decide their pay and conditions; to approve the appointment of the Chief Executive; to appoint the Auditors and to receive the annual report and accounts.

Southampton Constituency 

Stephanie Angell - 
I have two passions - supporting people and ensuring those who care for and support others are effective, congruent and accountable. I have worked within the health sector for over 20 years, either delivering and managing health services or performance managing others. I became a Governor to share my knowledge and experience, but also to be a voice for others.

Paul Lewzey - It’s important to talk with people who use our services and the people close to them. We need to talk widely in our communities, including with faith groups, voluntary groups and businesses. If you have a mental health issue or a learning disability, stigma and discrimination can affect you seriously.

Vacancies - We are currently running elections for this vacant seat  - see governor nominations page for more details on how to nominate yourself.

South West Hampshire Constituency

Derek Marshall - I have a long-standing interest in health policy and the governance of large organisations and several members of my family work for the NHS. I have worked as a barrister in private practice for over 40 years and was the Head of College Chambers in Southampton until I stood down in 2020, although I continue to practice as an Arbitrator and Civil Dispute Mediator.I am the current Chair of the Board of the YOU Trust, a prominent local charity involved in social care.

Vacancy - We are working with the incoming candidate to complete pre-appointment checks.  

North Hampshire Constituency

Venus Madden – 
I wanted to become a Governor because I love interacting with others and listening to their views. I am an Occupational Therapist by background and am currently working in a high secure hospital. I believe for any health service to move forward, the Trust needs to engage, empower and enable the public to share their views and experiences of its services.

John Lay -  
I have 20 years private and 28 years of public sector working experience, including as a Senior Manager, Director, Chartered Accountant and Chartered IT Practitioner. I am a local Councillor, a Pension Trustee and a Director of a £0.5 billion company.
I have extensive consultation experience, both informal and formal market research. I am a passionate supporter of the NHS and am keen to do all I can to ensure the services of the Trust are protected and maintained. 

Martyn Smith - I applied to become a Governor following decades of support from the Trust to myself and my family, from 3 births to my own stay at Frimley Park.

My objective to support the Trust provide excellent service to its public, and ensure it provides value for money for the tax payer. Governance is important for any business and I have the skills to deliver that for the Trust and its stakeholders.

South East Hampshire Constituency

Suzanne Pepper – 
I became a Governor to ensure transparency in the services that will be delivered to the highest of standards with patient needs in the forefront of everyone’s mind constantly. I will act as a critical friend and I have no issue speaking truth to power. I will investigate all issues and believe in delivering praise and encouragement as well as voicing concerns.

Vacancy -  We are working with the incoming candidate to complete pre-appointment checks.  

Isle of Wight 

Robert Pitts
I was born and raised on the Isle of Wight and lived here until I joined the Royal Air Force. Whilst living on the mainland, I was a Governor of the Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. I have been interested in Mental Health for a long time as I have a son of 53 years, who has learning disabilities. I also have a son of 49 years who is a haemophiliac.

I was a non-executive director of Healthwatch on the island for a number of years and in this role, I was involved in Project Fusion and other aspects of Mental Health here.

I applied to be a governor to continue to be able to ensure that residents on the island are represented and also to help in the development of the new Trust.

Vacancy -  We are working with the incoming candidate to complete pre-appointment checks.  

Portsmouth

Vacancy -  We are currently running elections for this vacant seat  - see governor nominations page for more details on how to nominate yourself.  

Vacancy -  We are currently running elections for this vacant seat  - see governor nominations page for more details on how to nominate yourself.  

Rest of England

Vacancies - We are currently running elections for this vacant seat  - see governor nominations page for more details on how to nominate yourself.

The staff constituency is divided into six classes based on the geographical boundaries within which the Trust operates, these are; North Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton, South West Hampshire, South East Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

South West Hampshire
Sarah Reed – 

I have worked in the NHS for the last 20 years, and in Southern Health since 2015.  I have seen some changes over the years, having been through large scale organisational change a few times and fully recognise how important staff engagement is. Supporting others is very important to me – whether that be my family, friends or colleagues. I am passionate about our NHS and am keen to play a role in ensuring that all staff have an opportunity to have their say in the Trust, and know that their interests are represented at the Council of Governors. 

Having been a staff governor for the last 3 years, I can bring consistency to the Council of Governors at a time of significant change to our Trust.  I am a curious person and like to ask those questions others may shy away from, particularly when it comes to changes affecting our staff, and having the ability to influence those. As well as 20 years in NHS communications, I also have a coaching qualification which I use to support our staff.  I am a good listener and very open and honest with people.  I have made many connections on all levels within the Trust and would use this network to ensure I can represent the staff of South West Hampshire. 

North Hampshire
Laura Nation - 
I have previously held a volunteer position with Southern Health. I am a psychological therapist with the Southern Health and am eager to ensure that as a trust we continue to strive to provide the highest standards of treatment and support for both patients and staff. I am delighted to support the trust to fulfil its objectives during this unprecedented time and believe that partnership and integration are key.

Southampton 
Maria Oyegbile - My interest is to listen to staff colleagues, representing the interests of various staff groups and ensuring that different perspectives are heard and considered in decision making processes. With many years background in teaching, education, and training, I qualified as a nurse in 2015, and worked as a community nurse, research nurse, Practice educator, and practice development nurse. I went on second to Health Education England (HEE/NHSE) as a Learning Environment Lead, and currently back in my role as a practice development nurse. I delight in participating in various staff networks/forums which enables me to listen to staff members and advocate for equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. With my values aligned with integrity and ethical conduct, I would like to see that our Trust offers excellent services while treating people with respect and compassion.

South East Hampshire
Ingrid Mead - I have been a qualified nurse for almost 30 years with most of that spent in the community. I am dedicated to improving outcomes for our service users and ensuring that our staff feel listened to as well as connected with our strategic vision.  I hope that I will be able to act as a conduit, ensuring positive communication between the Board, our service users and staff.

Isle of Wight 

Loretta Outhwaite - I have become a Staff Governor (Isle of Wight) to ensure that all my Southern colleagues working on the Isle of Wight have their interests and views represented.   As a Deputy Director of Operations and someone with 30 years’ experience of working in the NHS, 10 of which have been on the Isle of Wight, I am well placed to listen to colleagues and to confidently represent them as a member of the Council of Governors. 

Portsmouth - We will be running elections for this vacancy soon. If you have any queries please contact Corporate.Governance@southernhealth.nhs.uk. 

We have eight Appointed Governors who are nominated by our partner organisations, (local authorities, commissioners, academic and voluntary sector). They bring expert insights which have been invaluable.

Prof David Baldwin - 
University of Southampton
As an Appointed Governor I work with the Trust and the University to further collaborative relationships between the two organisations, so helping to improve the expertise and resourcefulness of our clinical services to the benefit of patients, families and staff.

Adrian Thorne, Lead Governor - 
Carers Together
I was nominated by my fellow Governors in July 2020 to be the Lead Governor. I have a particular interest / experiences in how Carers can be supported by the Trust so that patients and service users can receive the services that they require. 

Helen Callen
Age Concern Hampshire
Age Concern Hampshire is an independent registered charity working to support the ageing journey for older people in the county. As appointed Governor representing our charity, I am particularly interested in fostering collaborative partnership working and how older people, particularly those with dementia are supported by the trust.

Lois MacDonald
Unloc

My name is Lois, I’m 16 and I applied to be a youth governor after my I enjoyed my time on the southern health youth board. I am deeply passionate about serving my community, particularly its younger members and I see the Southern Health Youth Governor role as an unparalleled opportunity to effect positive change. I am fascinated by science and I am interested in a career in healthcare. I am driven by a desire to advocate for the needs and rights of young people in our region. I believe that everyone matters and that through being a youth governor, I can amplify the voices of those who may not always have a platform to be heard. I want to make a difference in the region and benefit the well being of the population through representing the views of our community and having a say in impactful decisions.

Councillor Christian Cox 
Southampton City Council

I am a city councillor in Southampton and work in the National Institute of Health and Care research and as such have a strong interest in improving services for both patients and staff, both now and for the future.

Vacancy
Hampshire County Council

Vacancy
Portsmouth City Council

Vacancy
Isle of Wight Council

The Service User and Carer Constituency is made up of members who have used services or cared for those who have used services in a period of 3 years immediately preceding the date of an application by the patient or carer to become a member of the trust. 

We are set to run elections for six vacancies within this Constituency later this year, please contact us via Corporate.Governance@southernhealth.nhs.uk if you are interested in becoming a Governor.

Vacancy
Associate Member for Young People

Appointment Committee - The Council of Governors has established an Appointment Committee to recommend the appointment of the Chair and Non-Executive Directors to the Council of Governors, including recommendations on remuneration. 

Appointment Committee Terms of Reference

Agenda Planning Group - The Council of Governors has established this Group to input into the agendas for the Council of Governor meetings, Governor Development Sessions and the Governor Induction programme. 

Agenda Planning Group Terms of Reference

Governor Elections 

Tuesday 5 November until Thursday 21 November 

We are launching a new governor nominations campaign for: 

• Portsmouth - two new seats 
• Southampton - one seat
• Rest of England - one seat 

For more details visit our governor nomination page. 

If you have any queries relating to the role, please contact Corporate.governance@southernhealth.nhs.uk.

Governor Election Results

Please see the results below from our most recent Governor Elections:

• Election Report & Uncontested report
• June 2024 - Election Report & Uncontested report