News

Two trusts given FT status in potential last wave of status awards

Monitor has awarded foundation trust status to what could be the last two NHS trusts to receive the title, ahead of a looming shake-up of the existing authorisation process.

Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust and Sussex Community NHS Trusts will become foundation trusts from today (1 April), meaning more than six million people will have a “greater say over the way healthcare services are provided in their local communities”.

Its patients, staff and local public will now have the chance to become members or governors, with a formal say over how the two trusts are run. As usual, they will also take greater control over how they shape their services, considerably free from central government.

They will also be able to retain and reinvest surpluses and borrow money to support investments in new services.

The announcements bring the number of foundation trusts to 155, comprising over 50% of trusts in England.

Miranda Carter, executive director of provider appraisal at the regulator, said: “I’m delighted to announce the creation of these two new foundation trusts. It is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of every member of their staff.”

“As foundation trusts, these two organisations now have the freedom to develop services more tailored to the needs of the populations they serve.”

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said it’s “great news” to see more community trusts given foundation status, arguing that even despite financial and operational challenges in the NHS, foundation status remains “highly relevant and something for trusts to aspire towards”.

“Today’s news underlines the importance of the foundation model and the pillars that lie at its heart: greater autonomy for those who have responsibility for delivering healthcare; making them directly accountable to their local communities; and creating stronger governance and assurance,” said Hopson.

“This status is therefore more than a sign on the front door – it is about removing trusts from direct ministerial control and strengthening their accountability to local people.”

However, these two trusts could likely be the last to receive this status as the regulator seeks to revise its FT assessment process. Minutes of Monitor’s February board meeting said it was agreed that “impending applications from Birmingham, Sussex and Wirral Community NHS Trusts should be considered in March but that, thereafter, a revised approach would be taken to community trust applications”.

In January, the Health Group Internal Audit indicated Monitor would have to tighten its internal process for granting this status to providers after St George’s University Hospitals NHS FT’s finances suddenly deteriorated shortly after receiving the FT label.