Press release: NHS Confederation responds to concern about the development of care trusts
09 Feb 2001
The NHS Confederation today set out the view of its members on the governance and management of care trusts in a letter from chief executive Stephen Thornton to Minister of State for Health, John Hutton. Following on from concern expressed by the LGA, ADSS, UNISON, Help the Aged and Age Concern, the letter outlines the vital importance of local flexibility in ensuring that the new care trusts are effective and inclusive.
Stephen Thornton says, "We are pleased that the aim is to ensure that governance arrangements will truly reflect the shared responsibilities of the partners in the care trust. We think it is very important that local discussions leading to an application for care trust status can include debate about the most appropriate governance arrangements. In our view the most appropriate way forward is to use the PCT governance guidance as a model, allowing local discretion to build up a board most appropriate to the range and scale of services commissioned and provided."
He adds, "Clearly care trusts that are established will want to see the appointment of local authority members to the board but decisions about numbers should be left to local negotiation rather than national prescription. For those care trusts that develop from NHS Trusts we would support proposals to expand the total number of directors, but ensuring the continuation of equal numbers of executive and non-executive directors."
The Confederation looks forward to continuing to work with the government on the detailed governance agreements.
Ends
Notes for editors
- The NHS Confederation is uniquely placed to be the voice of NHS management, as the only membership body for all NHS organisations. Our members include more than 95% of NHS trusts and health authorities in England and Wales; primary care groups; health boards in Scotland; and health and social services trusts and boards in Northern Ireland. The new English primary care trusts have joined.
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