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Trust Membership Leaflet

Get Involved

Become a member

Do you want to play an important part in shaping and improving our services?

You don’t need any special skills, qualifications or experience to be a member – you just need to be interested in your local hospitals and the work we do. You must be 16 years old or over - there is no upper age limit for membership. You also need to be resident in the catchment area of our hospital. Our staff are automatically members of this Trust unless they choose to opt out.

This Trust became an NHS Foundation Trust on 1 August 2006. We provide acute care for the people of Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and South Waveney, plus visitors to the area.

We are part of the NHS but  accountable to the local communities through our members.

The Council of Governors works closely with the Board of Directors - who are responsible for the day to day running of the Trust - and leads on engaging with Trust members.

Being a Member will enable you:

  • To help shape services at JPUH and express your views on local healthcare issues
  • get a broader view of the work of the NHS
  • to elect governors to sit on the Council of Governors
  • qualify for discounts at NHSdiscounts.com.

Being a Member will not:

  • cost you anything
  • require you to attend meetings, unless you wish to come along to those meetings of the Board of Directors or Council of Governors held in public
  • allow preferential NHS treatment.

What to do next...
If you would like to become a member, please complete the application form online or print a hard copy. There is a membership box in the foyer at the James Paget University Hospital or please post it back to us.
We can only acknowledge receipt of your form if you provide us with an email address.

Our Membership Strategy

We regularly assess our membership data to ensure that our members are representative of the local area. We have a Membership Strategy which includes the priorities that we are focusing on and how we plan to seek the views of members and the wider public – for more information please see our 2020-21 Membership Strategy.

The Council of Governors’ work on membership is fully integrated with the wider Trust work on engagement with our patients, carers and the general public. Any comments that Governors receive in relation to patient care are submitted to the Head of Patient Experience and Engagement.

Governors will be visiting libraries in the area this year - as well as attending at least two fetes/events in our area - to talk to the public and to members. We always want to hear about your experience of our services, and can signpost to our Patient Advice team if you have concerns that you want to resolve. Our Governors also link with GP Practice Patient Participation Groups to ensure that patients know who to talk to from the Paget. Where we don't have a Governor link posters are in GP surgeries so our contact information is available.

We are interested in what members/the wider public think about the way services need to change - In Norfolk and Waveney we are looking for all organisations to work together much more closely - called an integrated care system - what is most important to you when you think of the healthcare you receive? - so if you have any comments to make on this, please contact us at governors@jpaget.nhs.uk.