Press release: Foundations herald a new era of NHS reform
31 Mar 2004
The NHS Confederation welcomed the first wave of Foundation hospitals given the green light from the regulator today as an important milestone in NHS reform.
Dr Gill Morgan, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, said: "The first wave of Foundation Trusts is the beginning of a new era of patient and public involvement in the NHS. Foundation Trusts have ambitious plans for making healthcare more responsive and tailored to local needs."
Foundation Trusts will be able to run their own affairs with greater opportunities for local accountability and ownership and will have the ability to make changes and improvements more quickly.
Gill Morgan added: "The move to Foundation status is a major step for NHS organisations. Rather than the Secretary of State for Health overseeing them, they will have sole responsibility for the success or failure of their organisation.
"Trusts have been working to an ambitious timetable, and with policy that is still being developed. We hope that those Trusts not given the green light today will have an early chance to reapply. It is much more important to get it right first time round and guarantee the financial stability of Foundation Trusts in the future."
The first wave of Foundation Trusts has an ambitious programme of improvement aimed at meeting local need. For example:
- Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Trust propose to open the Essex Heart Centre in 2007 which will provide a centre of excellence in cardiothoracic surgery.
- The Countess of Chester NHS Trust proposes to establish a cardiac catheter laboratory and a special stroke unit.
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Trust plan to open a world-class International Children's Eye Centre as part of the redevelopment of their paediatric services.
- The Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Trust is planning to establish a new Drug Development Centre to support clinical research, including clinical trails in gene therapy. The new capacity created by this centre, in addition to working closely with the South West Cancer Network will increase the number of patients who entered and benefit form clinical trails.
Notes for editors
- The NHS Confederation represents the organisations that make up the NHS. Our ordinary members include the majority of NHS trusts, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities in England; trusts and local health boards in Wales; trusts and NHS boards in Scotland; and health and social service trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.
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
