Membership
Welcome to the Trust Membership page
Why mental health matters
Mental health issues are increasingly common. In the UK, one in four adults and one in ten children experience some form of mental illness each year. This means you likely know someone - a family member, friend, neighbour, or colleague - who is affected. You might even be facing these challenges yourself. Conditions like anxiety, depression, stress, eating disorders, dementia, and bipolar disorder aren't always visible, but they profoundly impact lives. At the North London NHS Foundation Trust, our vision is: Better Mental Health. Better Lives. Better Communities.
Our new Trust
Our aim as the new North London NHS Foundation Trust is to deliver top-quality mental health services across North London.
Previously two separate mental health trusts working in Partnership – Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust and Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust – we formally merged and became the new NLFT on Friday 1 November.
Every eligible member of staff is automatically a ‘staff member’, but we also need to recruit ‘public members’ – individuals who don’t work for the Trust but who live in one of our five boroughs and ‘service user / carer members’ – individuals who have used our services in the last five years or cares for someone who has.
Previously, C&I operated as an NHS Foundation Trust, so already had some public and service user/carer members and Governors involved in shaping services. We are now expanding this to build on our membership as the North London NHS Foundation Trust.
We are actively seeking:
- new public members, particularly residents in the Barnet, Enfield, and Haringey areas; and
- new service user/carer members who have accessed services, particularly in Barnet, Enfield and Haringey.
Recruiting public members for the new NHS Foundation Trust is essential to ensure community representation and improve service delivery. A diverse membership fosters stronger connections with the community.
Why join us?
By becoming a member, you can help shape our services to meet the evolving needs of our community. Your voice and views matter to us, and together we can ensure that the mental health needs of our local communities are met with compassion and effectiveness.
What being a Foundation Trust member involves
Becoming a member doesn’t have to take up a lot of your time. Whether you have just 10 minutes to spare or a few hours, there are plenty of ways to get involved.
Get Involved: 10-30 Minutes
- Stay Informed: Keep up-to-date with important news and exciting developments from across the Trust through our External Stakeholder and Membership Newsletters. You’ll also receive invitations to participate in interesting events and activities.
- Make your voice heard: Make your opinions count by taking part in short online surveys. Your input helps shape what we do and how we do it.
- Provide feedback: Email your Governor representatives with your feedback or ideas. They can raise your suggestions with the Trust through various channels, ensuring your voice is heard.
- Recruit Members: Help us grow a diverse and representative membership community by encouraging your family, friends and neighbours to join us. By being better connected with our communities, we can ensure our services are more patient-centered, effective, and continuously responsive to evolving needs, ultimately leading to better health outcomes and higher satisfaction among patients and the wider community.
Get Involved: 1-2 Hours
- Meet Your Governors: Meet your Governor representatives at the quarterly Council of Governors’ meetings and the Annual Members’ Meeting. Alternatively, email NLFT.Governors@nhs.net to arrange a conversation with them. You can find out more about Governors here.
- Attend Meetings: Observe a Council of Governors' meeting, where the views of our service users, carers, staff, and public are brought into the heart of our governance. These meetings are open to the public and held four times a year. You can find the dates of upcoming meetings as well as past meetings here.
- Annual General Meeting: Attend the Annual General Meeting and Annual Members’ Meeting to hear from our Directors about the Trust’s performance, challenges, and plans for the future.
- Volunteer with Us: Contribute your time and skills by volunteering in various roles across the Trust. It’s a great way to give back, develop new skills, and meet new people. For more information, email NLFT.Volunteers@nhs.net or call 020 3317 7146.
Get Involved: 3 Hours
- Become a Governor: Take on an important role in shaping mental health services by becoming a foundation trust governor. This is a great opportunity to make a significant impact on the future of the Trust. The next round of governor elections will be held in November 2024. For more information about the role and how to participate, contact NLFT.Trust.Secretary@nhs.net
- Community Engagement: Join us at community mental health events, including art exhibitions at St Pancras Hospital, and engage with the wider community.
Want to become a Member?
Becoming a member is quick, easy, and completely free. You can also opt out at any time if you change your mind. To join as a public member, you must live in Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, Islington, or anywhere else in London. If you’re applying as a service user or carer member, you or the person you care for must have accessed the Trust’s services within the last five years. Apply online here or request a paper form by emailing nlft.membership.bso@nhs.net or calling 020 3317 7017.
Membership Newsletters
Our quarterly Membership Newsletters share with you important news and events that may be of interest to you.
To access these, please click on the edition below.
