Airedale NHS Foundation Trust members are invited to stand for election to become a Governor, including hospital staff.
The election follows the plans for the hospitals refurbishment to benefit the local community.
As a Governor, people can get involved in this pivotal planning stage and help improve the Trust’s services and facilities by sharing feedback from their communities.
The Trust currently has 20 governors on the Council of Governors.
12 of these are public governors who each represent the area they reside in and ensure the voices of their communities are included in the decisions that are being made at the Trust.
Nominations for Public Governor elections are sought from the following areas:
- Bingley Rural
- Central & East Keighley
- Craven
- Ilkley and Wharfedale
- Pendle East and Colne
- Skipton
- South Craven
- West Craven
In addition to representing the views of their constituency, governors also share their views on the Trust’s plans, approve the appointment of the Chair and Non-Executive Directors, feedback information on the Trust, its vision and its performance to members and get invited to take part in other activities such as supporting the work of the hospital charity in their local communities.
Karen Ellison, Lead Governor and Governor for Ilkley and Wharfedale, explains the role of the governors in a video on the Trust website.
Current Governor for South Craven, Robert Minton-Taylor, decided to run following a life changing stroke in 2019:
Robert said:
“My subsequent NHS rehabilitation was the impetus for me to volunteer as a public governor for Airedale NHS Foundation Trust,”
“Having worked as the interim head of communications for two London hospitals, I wanted to use my experience in journalism, PR and teaching to benefit others.
“Deciding to be a hospital governor has been one of the most satisfying decisions I have made in my career.
"Being able to contribute to the successful running of a hospital for all the staff and the general public has been very rewarding.”
The Trust is also looking for nominations from staff members to stand for election to be staff governors for the below staff groups:
- Doctors and Dentists
- Nursing and Midwives
- All other staff
Elections open on Wednesday 5 February and close on Wednesday 5 March.
Voting for any contested seats (where more than one candidate stands) starts on Thursday 27 March and closes on Wednesday 16 April and the results will be announced on Thursday 17 April.
New governors are appointed from 1 June 2025.
Full details can be found at www.cesvotes.com/airedale2025.
To nominate yourself for election, you must be at least 16 years of age and a member of the Trust.
Information on how to become a member can be found on the Trust website, here.
For more information on becoming a Trust Governor, please email anhsft.members@nhs.net or phone 01535 294540.

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