FTN welcomes consultation on healthcare regulation

The Foundation Trust Network has welcomed the explicit support for foundation trusts and the recognition of FTs’ success to date in the consultation document on regulating healthcare providers.

The consultation follows the outlines in the White Paper, Liberating the NHS, and poses detailed questions on new freedoms for foundation trusts. These freedoms, for instance regarding finance and governance, are designed to ensure that the foundation trust model can fulfil its potential to innovate and provide the best services for NHS patients.

The Foundation Trust Network is particularly pleased to see the Government follow through on its undertaking to abandon the Private Patient Income Cap and recognise their status as social enterprises that use any surplus funds to enhance services for all NHS patients.

The FTN was involved in lobbying for this reform and is confident that foundation trusts will be able to broaden their scope and work in innovate ways to deliver additional services and enhanced care.

The consultation signals a direction of travel and the FTN will explore the proposals on governance, access to capital, borrowing, regulation and transactions further with its member organisations.

Sue Slipman, Director of the Foundation Trust Network said: “We welcome the approach that underpins this consultation, and the coalition government’s willingness to build on foundation trusts' success to date, to extend their scope and improve and develop services for all patients.”