At the Royal Surrey County Hospital’s stand at the Charter Fair in May 2026, This is Haslemere met Haslemere resident, Bob Monteath, whom we recognised from his Cards For Good Causes initiative that raises funds for charity every year at Haslemere Museum.

We were curious to know what Bob was doing representing the Royal Surrey. As there was a queue at the stand and it was clear that he had a story to tell, we arranged to meet him a few weeks later for a proper conversation in June 2026.

Bob Monteath is a staff governor at the Royal Surrey County Hospital. You may be wondering where that role sits in the overall organisation of the hospital. An executive board runs RSCH with a group CEO, a medical director and a chief nursing officer and other officers. The board is overseen by Non-Executive Directors with specific responsibilities, for example, governance, finance, digital transformation and people.

Voluntary governors are appointed by members of the hospital and Royal Surrey governors oversee NEDs. Governors appoint the CEO and Chair, getting involved at the final stage of the recruitment process. They are also involved in strategic decision making in an “assurance role”, i.e., assured that the hospital is running properly. The Council of Governors meet four times a year at a public meeting to which anyone can attend. There are many other meetings, which Governors attend, on key areas and responsibilities within the hospital including strategy. There are eighteen public and appointed governors and five staff governors. Read more here about being a governor at the Royal Surrey.

About Bob Monteath

Bon was born and educated in Edinburgh, and left Scotland for a career in High Street retailing. Having worked in many places in the country, he and his wife eventually settled in Haslemere in 1979.

Bob was MD of Mind’s retail division for sixteen years until he retired. He worked with 1,600 volunteers and staff raising much needed funds for England’s leading mental health charity. When he left Mind, he was a part-time Chief Executive of local charity The Tantum Trust based in Bordon.

Formerly Chair of Cards for Good Causes, he supports his wife running the Charity Christmas card shop at Haslemere Museum every year. He also volunteers for Haslemere Hall, Friends of Haslemere Hospital and Haslemere Border Athletic Club where, until recently, he was Chairman. Bob told This is Haslemere, “Volunteering is part of Haslemere’s culture. It keeps me young, sane and involved in the community. I love Haslemere and this community has been good to me.”

As someone who has been closely involved with volunteering for over 30 years, read on to understand how Bob is truly an asset for the Royal Surrey.

Bob’s volunteering at the Royal Surrey

Bob began volunteering at the Royal Surrey in 2012, first as part of the Patient Experience Team which involved interviewing patients to ensure they were treated well, had good interactions with staff, and how they found the food etc. Chrissie Beard is the voluntary services manager at the Royal Surrey. She is described by Bob as “amazing, appreciates her volunteers and really cares”. She coordinates the hospital's volunteer programs, which includes student volunteer schemes, work experience placements, and general hospital volunteers. In 2016, Chrissie asked Bob to become a lay member of The Medications Safety Committee. This is a clinical governance body responsible for ensuring the safe, effective, and cost-effective use of medicines across an organisation. This was a steep learning curve getting to grips with acronyms and medication nomenclature. In 2020, Chrissie Beard got in touch with Bob again and asked if he might consider becoming a governor, a role he then began in 2021. The position is held for a three-year term, with a maximum tenure of nine years. Bob has chosen to hold two terms and will step down next year. He is on The Membership and Community Engagement Committee.

Bob is a keen supporter of the Hospital, in part as recognition of the superb treatment he himself has received in recent years.

Community Engagement and Membership

Last year, Bob became chair of the Member and Community Engagement Committee.

For community engagement, he links very closely with The Royal Surrey’s comms team. They discuss, decide and plan community engagement, for example, the promotional stand at The Haslemere Charter Fair where we met. They also organise hospital open days and numerous other events.  Bob explained, “The Charter Fair was a really positive day for us. We engaged with the local community and shared what is happening with Haslemere Hospital. We had key conversations at the stand with our MP, the mayor and the community too.”  Last year, thousands turned up to a community open day at the Royal Surrey. He stressed, “These events take months and months to organise and our next one will be in 2027.”  Community engagement also includes social media, press and managing public inquiries.

For membership, as a Foundation Trust, there is an obligation for the Royal Surrey to have and to recruit members. All staff are automatically members and members of the public are also very welcome to become members. A challenge for Bob was clear, “We are constantly considering new routes to find new members. When people are treated well, they find out about the hospital’s membership scheme and become interested in joining. However, pursuing this route alone means our membership profile becomes the demographic of our patients and not that of our community.”  

Bob is on a mission to change the demographic to help their membership reflect the age and diversity of the hospital’s catchment area.

Reaching younger members is a key focus for Bob. They currently have a collaboration with the Medical School at Surrey University. Around 60 students who volunteer at the hospital have been invited to become members. Whilst this is no guarantee to secure employment, showing that you are a member of a well-respected hospital might tip the balance against someone who is not a member.

As mentioned, members appoint governors so it is a critical role in the hierarchy of the hospital. As a member, you are asked about strategy and direction of various elements of the hospital. You are invited to propose topics you’d like covered at member meetings each year with current big themes being AI, robotics and cancer. Members also receive a newsletter most months which includes information about research, possible opportunities for research trials, job opportunities etc. Members also receive an NHS discount card. This is not the Blue Light Card but it is a membership scheme with money off discounts for food, clothes, phones etc.

Membership numbers remain static and This is Haslemere would like to help Bob in his mission to have significantly more members by the time he leaves his governor post at the Royal Surrey next year.

Membership is open to anyone over the age of 16; it is free and all the information you need is on the Royal Surrey website here.  Why not join the Royal Surrey County Hospital as a member today.