Your health, your hospitals, your say on NHS Foundation Trust application
Local people across Norfolk and Waveney and staff who work at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust will from today be consulted on proposals to become an NHS Foundation Trust in January 2008.
The trust, which runs the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and Cromer Hospital, is starting a 12 week consultation, from April 23 to July 13. A total of 100,000 consultation documents are being distributed via local newspapers. People can also register their views and express an interest in becoming a member via this weblink www.nnuh.nhs.uk/page/ft
Chairman David Prior said: “Our hospitals are among the top-performing in the country and we see the main benefits of becoming a Foundation Trust as being able to work more closely with our community and our partners to design services according to local, rather than national, needs and having more freedom from Whitehall. Ultimately, we believe this will improve patient care by allowing us to deliver innovative services in a more timely and responsive way.”
Members of the public are also invited to find out more about what Foundation Trust status would mean at the following venues (all times are 9am to 5pm):
- 26th April 2007 Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library
- 16th May 2007 Cromer and District Hospital
- 15th June 2007 Dereham Library
- 26th June 2007 Bungay Library
- 6th July 2007 Attleborough Library
NHS Foundation Trusts are new 'public benefit' organisations with the purpose of providing NHS healthcare. NHS foundation trusts are not controlled by Whitehall but are accountable to local people and to an independent regulator. The trust's hospitals (Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and Cromer and District Hospital) will remain in the National Health Service and subject to NHS standards, and inspection regimes.
NHS Foundation Trusts have a membership that includes local residents who live within the trust’s local area, and members of staff. There will be a council of governors and a board of directors. The council of governors will be elected by the membership of the NHS Foundation Trust to represent their interests at strategic level. The board of directors will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the hospital.
The consultation runs until July 13 and the feedback from staff, patients, public and partner organisations will be studied and become part of our application to the Department of Health for NHS Foundation Trust status in August. If the Secretary of State approves the application it will then go to the Foundation Trust regulator Monitor for consideration in autumn 2007.