NHS Foundation Trusts – Free Healthcare For All

Get Involved in How Your Local NHS Hospital is Run.

Sep 20, 2009 Nicci Talbot

NHS Foundation Trusts are a new type of NHS organisation. This article explains how they work and how you can get involved in the running of your local hospital.

NHS Foundation Trusts or ‘hospitals’ have been developed in response to the government’s desire to make the management of hospitals and health centres local rather than central. Members of the public, patients, and healthcare staff are being encouraged to get involved in how their local services are run. When an NHS Trust gains Foundation status it means that financial decisions are made locally rather than centrally, and that hospitals no longer have to meet performance management targets set by their Strategic Health Authority. In time, this should lead to a more efficient – and patient-led – NHS.

However, despite this autonomy, the Foundation Trusts will still be accountable to central government, and assessed by an independent regulator called 'Monitor' to ensure that standards are upheld. The first 20 NHS Foundation Trusts were set up in 2004, and there are now 122 in England (36 of these are mental health trusts). The government is encouraging all NHS Trusts to apply for foundation status, and there is a process to follow. NHS Trusts need to demonstrate good organisational practice and financial stability before they can be approved as Foundation Trusts.

What Do NHS Foundation Trusts Offer?

The aims of the Foundation Trusts are threefold:

To get local people, patients and staff more involved in the decision-making process and how healthcare services are run.
To give hospitals more independence and the power to make decisions on how they are run and what services are required.
To enable hospitals to take control of their purse strings and make sound financial decisions about new services and equipment, borrowing money if necessary, which they can pay back at a later date.

How to Join Your Local NHS Foundation Trust

You can get involved in a number of ways depending on the level of input you desire and how much time you can spare. The first step is to find out whether your local hospital has become a Foundation Trust, and if not, when this will happen. You can find out via Monitor’s website, which has a directory of Foundation Trusts around the UK. If your local hospital has not yet received Foundation Trust status ask to see progress documents and a time frame for when it will happen. If your local hospital has gained Trust status you will receive a leaflet through the door or read about it in the local press.

You can register as a member online, via post or at your local hospital and membership is free to all. There are two tiers: the first as patient or public member and the second, as an NHS staff member. You will receive regular newsletters, a magazine and further information about meetings you can attend to learn more about the NHS and how your hospital is run. If you want greater involvement you can attend meetings, elect governors or stand for election as a governor or a non-executive director.

If you have a specific area of interest you can opt to attend focus groups on that area. Sandra Rawlinson from Seaford, East Sussex is the NHS Foundation Trust's 5,000th member. She has chosen to focus on rheumatology service planning after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis 12 years ago.

What Does Being a NHS Foundation Trust Governor Involve?

All NHS Foundation Trusts have a Board of Governors, which works with the Trust’s Board of Directors to decide how the hospital is run. Governors advise directors and feedback views of patients and public on any changes or new services they would like to see. Governors will appoint a Chair of Governors and non-executive directors, as appropriate. They will also approve any appointments of chief executive officers. Being a governor requires a greater degree of commitment in terms of time and the amount of information you will need to digest (annual reports, accounts) and you will need to attend Trust meetings throughout the year.

NHS Foundation Trusts are a positive step forward in how the NHS is being run. They enable local people to get more involved in how their hospital is managed, and being in control of their own finances means hospitals can make decisions quickly about equipment and services, according to local needs. As the Department of Health points out, they are a ‘significant change in the history of the NHS’ development’.

Resources

To find out whether your local hospital has gained Foundation Trust status see the Trust Directory on Monitor’s website. You can also write to the NHS Foundation Trust team at the following address:

NHS Foundation Trust Team

Department of Health Room 4, No 6

Quarry House

Leeds

LS2 7UE

Department of Health: NHS Foundation Trusts, accessed 20th September 2009.

East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust: Foundation Trust information and News and Developments, accessed 20th September 2009.

The copyright of the article NHS Foundation Trusts – Free Healthcare For All in Women’s Health is owned by Nicci Talbot. Permission to republish NHS Foundation Trusts – Free Healthcare For All in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.