All foundation trusts are on a transformational journey. Since the sector was established seven years ago it has grown rapidly – from ten acute healthcare providers in 2004 to 137 providers by May 2011, spanning healthcare provision in acute, mental health, ambulance and community services settings. Foundation trusts have made significant progress towards fulfilling the potential that increased autonomy, greater operating freedoms and genuine accountability to the local community can deliver, although substantial challenges remain.
Foundation trusts reached a key milestone in their journey when their success to date was reflected in the commitment to expand the sector to include all public healthcare providers and to extend their freedoms. As the sector has developed and matured, so the need for a strong, distinctive voice speaking unequivocally on behalf of foundation trusts has grown.
In January, you voted to become an independent organisation, working closely with all parts of the health and social care system. Since then we have established the Foundation Trust Network as a new, independent organisation, and, critically, have been highlighting the risks and challenges that you are facing during this period of transition. Some of our successes include:
- Significantly influencing health policy and the reforms to protect and extend foundation trusts’freedoms and enable FTs to realise the potential of their status;
- Securing senior levelmeetings, including with the Prime Minister and the whole health ministerial team, to ensure that the messages from foundation trusts are heard at the highest level
- Developing performance improvement initiatives across a host of areas including support for financial, governance and clinical effectiveness
There is much at stake for foundation trusts, and for the Foundation Trust Network.We speak on behalf of a £70 billion sector, which so far has over half a million employees, a membership of 1.8million and over 4,200 governors.
The newly independent Foundation Trust Network is amembership organisation representing the public providers of NHS services. Our purpose is to support you by representing your interests, understanding and meeting your performance improvement needs, and developing the foundation trust brand. At the same time
we are building relationships within and outside the NHS that are your platform for future growth and sustainability.
Over time, as our membership base evolves, the nature of the FTN will change and we will need to grow and change our services to meet these different needs as they emerge. Our highest priority is to be an open, accountable and transparent membership organisation, working effectively on your behalf, as the champion of foundation trusts.
Shaping our future
To help us do this, we want to hear your views on a number of recommendations made by the FTN board on the following issues:
- Your priorities for an independent FTN
- Our regional role
- The structure of the FTNboard
- Making policy on behalf of the sector
- Workforce
- Working with systemand stakeholder partners
Opportunities for the FTN’s commercial development are being examined separately, and recommendations will be made at a later stage.
How to respond
The FTN will be consulting widely with the membership on the questions set out in this consultation. We will create the opportunity to engage through our established programme of events as well as a series of regional meetings.
The FTN board will use the consultation responses to draw up a detailed resolution that it will present to ameeting of all members later in 2011.
We are asking each organisation to respond once only.
The deadline for your consultation response is Wednesday 14 September.