The parliamentary election is not the only opportunity that people in Fife will have to vote in 2010. Look out for the ballot papers for the Health Board elections!
NHS Fife is one of only two Boards in Scotland that have been chosen to be a pilot site for Health Board election. This is a new way of giving members of the public a say directly on who should be at the Board-level of an NHS organisation.
The election is by postal ballot. Ballot papers are being issued round about 10th May and have to be returned by 10th June. For the first time 16 and 17 years olds who are on the electoral register will be able to vote.
At present NHS Boards are appointed by the Scottish Government. There are different types of Board Members. These include what are called stakeholder members, that is, people representing our staff organisations or our clinical forum or nominated by Fife Council. They include the senior managers of the organisation like the Chief Executive or the Nurse Director. They include people appointed from outside who bring to the Board, as Non-Executive Members, skills and experience they have gained from other organisations and careers.
An elected Fife NHS Board will consist of:
12 directly elected Non-Executive Members
12 Members appointed by Scottish Ministers (including the Chairperson, Non-Executive Members, Stakeholder Members and Executive Members)
1 Councillor Member nominated by Fife Council
This will achieve the Scottish Government’s objective that over half of the Board members will be elected. As at present, all Board members will be expected to work together on behalf of the population of Fife as a whole and to be accountable to the Scottish Government for the delivery of its health policy.
So please – look out for the ballot papers coming through your door and make your choice of candidate! Two of the candidates with a strong interest in representing carers interests are Dawn Norton and Lesley Childs. Dawn told us “I am a single parent of two teenage boys. I am also a full time carer for one of my sons, who has profound special needs. I was born and brought up in Fife.
I have had contact with various services within health in relation to my son and other members of my family. My experience has been both positive and negative and I now feel strongly that I wish to be involved in promoting the best possible health for all in Fife. I believe that my experience of caring for my son will bring a different aspect to the board although I am very aware of the need for impartiality and objectivity. My caring responsibilities prevent me taking up employment at the moment but I am keen to make a significant contribution to my community.”
Lesley is the Information Officer at Fife Carers Centre and in common with all the staff here has some caring experience herself. In addition to that she has lots of experience of working in committee led and monitored activity, having previously worked with the military and now with both NHS Fife and Fife Social Work since she began work with us. She feels this experience gives her the confidence to speak up and put across points effectively. She told us “I feel it’s important that carers have a clear voice speaking out and representing their interests at this level and my work and life experiences mean I have knowledge and understanding that will help others understand what “Partners in Care” really means for carers and those they interact with.”
