Foundation Trusts are still part of the NHS and still have to meet NHS standards in providing high quality, free healthcare. However there are some differences in the way they are run.
How are they different?
One of the most important differences is that foundation trusts are accountable to local people, patients, staff, members and governors. This means that local communities and our staff can have a say in how we provide our services.
Foundation Trusts are membership organisations which seek to recruit members from amongst staff and the public.
An advantage of becoming a Foundation Trust is that there will be more freedom to explore different ways of developing our services, with new powers to enter into legal and financial agreements.
Foundation Trusts are still closely inspected to make sure we meet rigorous NHS standards.
The independent regulator,
Monitor and the
Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulate all Foundation Trusts to ensure that they meet the required national standards of quality, care and financial sustainability.