Becoming a Foundation Trust
The Trust submitted the first draft of its integrated business plan for foundation trust (FT) status to the strategic health authority, NHS North of England, on 30 November.
Subject to the strategic health authority’s consideration, the Trust will begin a 12-week statutory public consultation into the governance arrangements for the proposed foundation trust early next year.
The plan will be revised and resubmitted to the strategic health authority four more times before the end of August 2012. All being well, it will then be sent to the Department of Health and Monitor, the foundation trust regulator. Our ambition is to become authorised as a FT by April 2013.
What is an FT?
Foundation trusts are part of the NHS family with the primary purpose of providing healthcare services. They are not run by the government but accountable to their local communities and staff who can influence how they are run. An independent body called Monitor oversees and regulates the performance of FTs.
How are FTs run?
Becoming an FT means that we will be governed differently. These arrangements makes us accountable to local communities, staff and stakeholders, allowing them much greater influence over how services are delivered and how they are run.
The Trust will start recruiting members next year and we want as many local people as possible to become members. Staff will automatically become members if they are employed on a permanent basis or on a contract for one year or longer.
Membership
Once you are a member you can:
- Reflect public opinion of our services
- Give feedback on business plans, annual reports and other documents
- Participate in events, surveys, consultations and discussions about our services
- Vote in the council of governors elections
- Stand for election to the council of governors
- Act as an ambassador of the Trust
- Help recruit more members
Council of Governors
Once enough members are recruited, the Trust will organised elections to recruit governors.
The Council of Governors will have both elected governors and governors nominated by our partnership organisations. The Council will represent the views of members and work closely with our Board of Directors.
It will meet in public several times a year to help feed back the views and opinions of their members to the Board. The Council of Governors will have an important role including:
- Giving feedback to the Board of Directors on business and financial plans
- Bringing expertise from our partner organisations
- Receiving reports, including our financial accounts
- Representing the view of members during discussions about the development of the organisation and its services.
Only members are eligible to become elected governors and they must be at least 16 years old. Governors will be elected to represent the two membership constituencies: public and staff. We plan to have four governors to represent staff groups.
Consultation
Yes. We will begin a 12-week consultation early in 2012.