Foundation Trust

Your Hospital in Your Hands

What's happening now

Airedale Hospital was authorised as an NHS Foundation Trust on 1 June 2010. Becoming a Foundation Trust gives the hospital greater freedom to develop services for patients and give local people much more say in decisions about its future. Having achieved Foundation Trust status, the organisation will benefit from a variety of new freedoms. NHS Foundation Trusts:

are free from central government control and are able to decide how to improve their services;
can retain any surpluses they generate to invest in new services, and can borrow money to support these investments; and
are accountable to their local communities - local people can become members and Governors.

Election latest

As a member one of the ways you can get involved is by standing for election to become a Governor on our Council of Governors. Our Council has 36 members, 20 of which are public members like you, who have put themselves forward for election to represent their local area. Our next elections are in March 2012. The following seats are up for election:

Public seats

Bingley (same as the Bradford District Council electoral ward of Bingley)
Craven (same as the Bradford District Council electoral ward of Craven)
Ilkley (same as the Bradford District Council electoral ward of Ilkley)
Keighley Central (same as the Bradford District Council electoral ward of Keighley Central)
Skipton (same as the Craven District Council electoral ward of Skipton)
South Craven (includes the Craven District Council electoral wards of West Craven, Aire Valley with Lothersdale, Cowling, Glusburn and Sutton in Craven)
Pendle East and Colne (includes the Pendle Borough Council electoral wards of Barrowford, Boulsworth, Foulridge, Horsfield, Vivary Bridge and Waterside)
West Craven (includes the Pendle Borough Council electoral wards of Coates, Craven and Earby)
Lower Wharfe Valley (includes the Leeds City Council electoral ward areas of Rawdon, Guiseley, Otley and Yeadon)

Staff seats

Nurses and midwives (2 seats)
Doctors and dentists (1 seat)
Allied Health Professionals (1 seat)

For more information on the elections click here.

Building our membership

Patients, carers and local people have the opportunity to get involved by becoming members of the Foundation Trust. Currently the Trust has more than 12,000 public, staff and volunteer members.

We want you, our local population, including our staff and partners, to have a stake in our future. We are currently trying to increase our numbers of public members so as many local people as possible can be involved.

Please show your support and be part of your local hospital by joining us now. Click here to find out more about the benefits of becoming a member.

Our Council of Governors