Members of Teesside’s two NHS foundation trusts will be able to question hospital leaders about performance and future plans at a joint annual general meeting in Middlesbrough on Monday 5 October.
University Hospitals Tees has confirmed that the meeting will run from 1.30pm to 4pm at Teesside University’s Digital Life Centre. It is open to members of South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, the two organisations that work together as the University Hospitals Tees group.
Questions for hospital leaders
The afternoon will include a presentation from the University Hospitals Tees board of directors covering organisational performance and future developments. A question-and-answer session will follow, giving members a direct route to raise issues with senior leaders. Questions can also be submitted before the meeting.
Alongside the formal meeting, teams from across University Hospitals Tees and external organisations will run marketplace stands covering healthcare developments, services and innovations. The trust says the aim is to give members a chance to speak directly with people working across local health services, rather than limiting the afternoon to presentations from the stage.
The format follows University Hospitals Tees’ first combined annual general meeting in 2025. South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust reported that more than 100 people attended that event at the same Teesside University venue, where staff, foundation trust members and members of the public heard about performance, achievements and future plans and put questions to board members and senior leaders.
How membership works
The two foundation trusts remain separate organisations but work together through University Hospitals Tees. North Tees and Hartlepool provides integrated hospital and community services to around 400,000 people across Hartlepool, Stockton and parts of County Durham. South Tees includes James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, a major trauma centre serving a much wider regional population, alongside the Friarage and community services.
Membership is free. North Tees and Hartlepool says members can help improve local services, have a say on future developments, vote for governors and attend annual meetings and other events. Its membership information says foundation trusts aim to reflect the communities they serve and that members’ views form part of the feedback used to improve services.
People do not need expertise to become involved. Foundation trust membership is designed to give local residents, service users and staff a formal connection with their , including the right to vote in governor elections. For people who mainly encounter hospitals through appointments, visiting relatives or community services, the AGM provides a different view of how decisions, priorities and performance are discussed.
The meeting also arrives during a period in which the two trusts are increasingly working together under the University Hospitals Tees banner. The combined group covers major hospital sites in Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool and Northallerton as well as community services. The AGM gives members an opportunity to hear how that is developing and what it means for care in their area.
How to take part
People who want to attend need to be members of either South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust or North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust. University Hospitals Tees is asking members to register by email, and says questions can be sent in advance. Details about joining either foundation trust are available through the trusts’ own websites.