Become a member
How to join us as a member
- Complete the online form.
- Download and print a form.
- Call our Membership Team on 01273 696011 ext. 3115.
- Email: sc-tr.sctmembership@nhs.net
Please complete the form as fully as you can. Membership is free. Anyone aged 12 years or over, who lives in West Sussex, Brighton & Hove and the High Weald Lewes and Havens area of East Sussex, as well as anyone who uses our services, can become a member.
If you are aged between 12 and 15 years your parent or guardian will need to sign your form on your behalf. Those under 12 years are not eligible to join.
The Trust would like more children and young people to join as a member, so that they can get involved and have their say. This short video of Benjamin explains the benefits of membership:
All staff who are employed by the Trust under a permanent contract or a fixed term contract of 12 months or more will automatically become a member of our staff constituency and do not need to complete the online membership form. If in doubt, contact us or ask your line manager.
Bank staff who just work shifts through our Staff Direct and our volunteers are encouraged to join as a public member via our online form.
Have a direct say
As an NHS Foundation Trust we are accountable to our local communities through our members. Members are at the heart of NHS Foundation Trusts. As members and governors, local people, patients, staff and local partners have a direct say in how we develop our services to meet the evolving needs of the community.
As a member you can help us raise awareness of the value and range of what we do, make sure we continue to provide effective and relevant services, and provide feedback to help us continually improve. You can also encourage other people to join e.g. family and friends who live in Sussex.
Further information is available from our Membership and Engagement Strategy.
Members choose their level of involvement
Members can:
- Elect representatives to serve on the council of governors
- Stand for election as a governor
- Attend members’ events
- Work with us on patient and public involvement initiatives and submit opinions on any proposed changes to services.
What members do?
Members receive a regular newsletter and have the opportunity to be involved with the development and delivery of services.
We are committed to involving members in a meaningful way and members will be invited, in accordance with their choice of involvement level, to engage with us by:
- Attending Annual Members' Meetings/open days and events
- Communicating with governors
- Participating in surveys, focus groups and interest groups
- Communicating with our Membership Office
- Completing member satisfaction surveys
As a member, it’s up to you to decide how involved you want to be. You can choose to only receive information about the Trust, complete online surveys, take part on focus groups and consultations about subjects that interest you, attend meetings, or stand for election as a governor. See our section on Council of Governors for more information.
If you're thinking of becoming a member and want to understand more about how we use personal data, then you can download more information here.
Any questions, visit our FAQ page or contact us at SC-TR.SCTMembership@nhs.net, or by phone on 01273 696011 ext. 3115.
Membership Engagement Strategy and Plan 2020-23
We want to create a more vibrant and diverse membership community, and one which has a real voice in shaping the future of the Trust and the services we provide.
As a result, we have launched a new membership engagement strategy that sets out our ambition to improve how we attract members, how we keep them informed and engaged, and increase opportunities to become more involved in the Trust.
View the strategy here.
Hear from our governors about membership
Video from Stella Benson, Public Governor for Brighton and Hove
Grainne Saunders, Appointed Governor representing Children and Young People
Amber Villar, Public Governor for Crawley
Video from Jessica Poulton, Staff Governor representing Allied Health Professionals and Therapists
Get in touch with your local governor
The Council of Governors have a responsibility to represent the views of our members and to hold the Board of Directors to account for the performance of the Board.
Click here if you would like to:
- contact your local governor;
- submit a question, query or to provide feedback.
Alternatively you can email them at: SC-TR.SCTMembership@nhs.net
Further information about the Council of Governors is available here.
We respect your privacy
We respect your concerns about privacy and value the relationship we have with you. This Privacy Policy describes the types of personal data we collect about our members, how we use this information, with whom we share it, and the rights of our members regarding our use of this information. We also describe the measures we take to protect the security of the information, how long we retain it and how our members can contact us about our privacy practices and how to exercise their rights.
Purpose of the processing and the legal basis for the processing
We collect your contact details for the purpose of communicating with you about things that are happening in the Trust, inviting you to member’s events or meetings and informing you about our Governor elections.
We only collect this information with your consent.
Any recipient or categories of recipients of the personal data
Your details will be entered onto a database that allows us to make sure you are contacted with relevant information. You can view the privacy notice here.
Details of transfers to third country and safeguards
No information is processed outside of the UK.
How long will we keep this information?
Your membership information will only be held for as long as you are member of the Trust. If you no longer wish to be member, please contact the Membership Office at:
sc-tr.sctmembership@nhs.net or call: 01273 696011 ext.3115
