Press release: NHS Confederation welcomes MP vote backing foundation trusts
19 Nov 2003
The NHS Confederation welcomed today's vote by MPs to back foundation trusts because the foundations policy offers NHS trusts an opportunity for increasing freedom from central control and improved local accountability.
Dr Gill Morgan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: It is now widely acknowledged that the NHS has been prevented from acting sensitively enough to local issues, and foundation trusts represent a step towards tackling this problem. We now need to concentrate our efforts on making the proposal work, and this requires involving local people in the implementation stage."
Gill added: "We now need to look beyond the narrow debate on foundation trusts. There are other important issues in the NHS such as reform to funds flows and increasing patient choice which have the potential to alter dramatically the shape of the NHS. Also, for too long the focus in the NHS has been on hospitals and elective surgery, whereas the true issue should be the 17.5m people in this country suffering from chronic syndromes."
ENDS
Notes for editors
- The NHS Confederation represents the organisations that make up the NHS. Our members include the majority of NHS trusts, primary care trusts and health authorities in England; trusts and local health boards in Wales; trusts and NHS boards in Scotland; and health and social services trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.
- An NHS Confederation-MORI poll of NHS chief executives in June this year found that the over-whelming majority felt that issues other than foundation trusts would have the most impact on the NHS.
Contact details
- Contact Media Relations Manager Joanna Clason on 020 7074 3306 or 07798 571078 or Senior Media Officer Amy Darlington on 020 7074 3304 or 07767 770309. For out of hours media enquiries, please call the Duty Press Officer on 07880 500726.
Back to media centre
