Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is responsible to its regulator, NHS England, for all aspects of the Trust's work, including maintaining standards, achieving targets set by the Government (e.g. waiting time targets) and achieving financial balance.
Please note we are working on making our board papers fully accessible by the end of December 2024. If you need any of the documents on this page in an accessible format, please contact ekh-tr.communications@nhs.net.
For more information, see our Accessibility statement.
On this page
Join the next Board of Directors meeting
To be held on Thursday 5 December 2024
How to join the meeting
For joining details, please contact Sylvia Robson, Board Support Secretary, via Sylvia.Robson2@nhs.net or telephone 01233 651923.
There is the opportunity at the end of the meeting for members of the public to ask questions. Please submit your question by 12.00 noon the day before the meeting via Sylvia Robson, Board Support Secretary.
Future Board of Directors meetings
Please note that these dates may be subject to change - please check near the date before attending.
Thursday 6 February 2025.
Board meeting papers
For older papers, please email Sylvia Robson, Board Support Secretary: Sylvia.Robson2@nhs.net
Reading the Signals Oversight Group
The next meeting of the Reading the Signals Oversight Group will be held on 17 September 2024 at the Boardroom, Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Ethelbert Road, Canterbury CT1 3NG or via Webex.
Our Board of Directors
Guidance on Board meetings held in public
A meeting in public is where members of the public can attend to observe a formal meeting of a Board. Observers can see the Board in action and the decisions it makes but are not allowed to join the discussion, or take part in the meeting in other ways. However, members of the public are able to ask questions at the end of the formal business.
Questions from the public
We welcome questions from the public – they are an important mechanism for the leadership of the Trust to engage with and hear and learn from the people we serve. They enable us to demonstrate our commitment to openness and the fact that we are accountable.
If you would like to ask a question, it would be helpful if you could do so in advance. This allows us to group similar questions together, answer as fully as possible, and make the best use of time.
To send in a question please email Sylvia Robson. The Chairman may not be able to cover all questions, but every one of them will be recorded in the minutes and responded to on our website alongside the meeting papers.
Please submit your question by 12.00 noon the day before the meeting.
There will of course be some issues, such as individual concerns or complaints, or general media queries which may be better handled through our various routes for enquiries:
For complaints or concerns, contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
For media enquiries, contact our Press Office
Advanced booking
We have limited spaces at our meetings, so we do ask those wishing to attend to reserve a place in advance. If the public seating is full, we will not be able to allow entry to anyone without a booking.
Many of our meetings are now in person but with a facility for people to join online.
Queries before the meeting
When you register to observe a meeting in public, we will use your contact details to confirm the meeting arrangements or send you the link to join virtually. When you submit a question, we will use your contact details to confirm we have received it.
We will not retain your contact details beyond the date of the meeting that you wish to observe and/or have submitted a question to.
Meeting etiquette
Please keep noise and distractions to a minimum during the meeting to allow everyone to follow the proceedings. The following can be distracting:
Talking while another person is speaking
Use of mobile telephones. Please switch your phone off or put it on silent mode
Laptop keyboard noise. Please don’t type during the meeting.
If you are joining virtually
The chat and Q&A functions will be disabled.
Arrival
The meeting will begin promptly, so please arrive in plenty of time. On arrival, you will be asked to sign in, so we can keep an accurate record of attendance.
If you are joining virtually, we recommend that you log on 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time.
Accessible venues
Venues will have disabled access. Please let us know in advance if you have any specific requirements. We will have staff on hand on the day to support you.
Microphones and hearing loops
To support everyone to hear speakers, there will be microphones and a hearing loop.
Papers for the meeting
We will make the meeting papers available before the meeting via our website. The minutes and responses to questions raised will be published on our website. Minutes are normally approved at the next meeting of the Board.
Thank you for agreeing to this etiquette and for your interest and attendance at our public Board meeting.
FAQs
The Chairman of the Board is in charge of the meeting. It is the role of the Chairman to make sure that members of the Board can discuss the published agenda items in the time available.
You can find information about members of the Board. Board members and regular attendees will have nameplates in front of them at the meeting.
Should you wish to record the meeting this must be by prior agreement with the Chairman. Any recording that is permitted must not disrupt the meeting for anyone else.
Obviously, the Board needs to be able to conduct its business without interruption.
A public body has a common law power to prevent anyone from entering a meeting if it has reasonable grounds for believing that they would disrupt the meeting and make it impossible for it to conduct its business. In the event of a disruption, the Chairman can exclude members of the public and close the meeting.