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PRESS RELEASE: 12 May 2005

It's election time again for Addenbrooke's Hospital!

The general election may be over…but there's another important vote to be cast in Addenbrooke's Hospital's governor election. Members of the hospital's NHS Foundation Trust will already have received their ballot papers to vote for patient or public governors, and there's just under a week left to use them as voting closes on 18 May.

Keith Day, Trust Secretary, said: "It's really important that members use their vote so that their views can be heard. The election for governors is your opportunity to elect the people you want to represent your views at the highest level in the Trust. Your votes give you voices at the governors' meetings. There are only a few days left, so make sure you cast your vote."

Addenbrooke's became an NHS Foundation Trust in July 2004, delivering a more responsive, accessible and inclusive health service, accountable to its local community. The Trust is served by a board of directors and a board of governors, which is elected by the Foundation Trust membership to represent their interests at strategic level.

Over the last year, the governors have been making a real difference to the way the hospital works, helping to plan objectives for the coming year, for example, and meeting members at events in and outside the hospital to find out their views. They have also been leading focus groups on topics such as food and nutrition and patient information, and getting involved in a wayfinding project on improvements in getting to the site and around the hospital, as well as the content and style of appointment letters. Getting to know what patients and public members want from the hospital is central to what Addenbrooke's as a Foundation Trust stands for.

Only existing members of the NHS Foundation Trust will be eligible to vote, but if you haven't already joined up, get in touch with the Membership Office on telephone 01223 256256 or email foundation.trust@addenbrookes.nhs.uk. Being a member is one of the ways in which your views can be heard - remember, you can get involved in the running of the hospital as much (by standing as a governor) or as little (simply by receiving regular information about the Foundation Trust) as you like. As a member you will also be invited to special events such as 'Medicine for Members' - a series of talks by some of the hospital's leading clinicians.

Notes to editors

• Three patient governors, two public governors and one staff governor will be elected this year.
• In the first election for governors which took place in March 2004, appointments to the Board were phased for one, two and three years according to the number of votes received by each candidate, in order to ensure that not all governors are subject to re-election at the same time.
• Governors elected in the forthcoming 2005 elections will all be elected to the Board for a three-year term.
• In total eight patient governors, seven public governors and four staff governors serve on the Board of Governors.

PRESS
Press are invited to attend the announcement of the election results on Thursday 19 May 2005 at 1100 in the Boardroom. Please contact Emma Oram on 01223 274433 before 19 May if you would like to attend.

For further press/media information contact: PR & Communications Department, Box 53, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QQ; Tel: 01223 274 433; Fax: 01223 257 143; Minicom: 01223 274 604.