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Foundation Trust
Frequently asked questions
About Foundation Trust status
- What is a Foundation Trust?
- What makes Foundation Trusts different from other NHS trusts?
- What does Monitor do?
- Does a Foundation Trust remain part of the NHS?
- Can Foundation Trust status be taken away?
- If a Foundation Trust is more independent from governmane, who is it accountable to?
- What happens if we don't get FT status?
Membership and Council of Governors
- What does membership mean?
- What is the role of the Council of Governors?
- How old do you need to be to join as a member, vote in elections and stand for election to be a governor?
- How many governors will there be and how will they be chosen?
- How will governors be held to account for their performance?
- How will you encourage patients and members of the public to join the trust as members?
General Questions
- What about the Mid Staffordshire Hospital scandal?
- How will complaints about the trust be dealt with?
About Foundation Trust status
What is a Foundation Trust?
Foundation Trusts are set up in a way that makes them answerable to their local community.
As a Foundation Trust, St George’s Healthcare will remain firmly within the NHS but we will have greater accountability and be more responsive to our patients, the local community and our members of staff. Through a Council of Governors, these groups will have a greater say in how we develop our services and improve the care we provide to our patients.
Foundation Trusts also have greater freedom over how they manage their finances, which will mean more flexibility to decide on how to invest in services that will best meet the needs of its patients and public.
What makes Foundation Trusts different from NHS trusts?
- More flexibility to decide locally how to provide and improve services
- More accountable to local people, who can become members and seek election to the Council of Governors
- Authorised and regulated by Monitor - Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts
What does Monitor do?
Monitor is the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts. Monitor is independent of central government and directly accountable to parliament.
There are three main strands to their work:
- Determining whether NHS trusts are ready to become NHS foundation trusts
- Ensuring that NHS foundation trusts comply with the conditions they signed up to, that they are well-led and financially robust
- Supporting NHS foundation trust development.
For more information please visit www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk
Does a Foundation Trust remain part of the NHS?
Yes. It is important to remember:
- Foundation Trusts are part of the NHS
- NHS care is still free at Foundation Trust hospitals
- Foundation Trusts have to meet the same quality standards as the rest of the NHS
- Members of staff continue to be part of the NHS workforce.
Can Foundation Trust status be taken away?
It is a possibility but has yet to happen:
- Monitor can consider de-authorising a NHS Foundation Trust which is seriously failing to comply with its terms of authorisation or any requirement(s) imposed on it under any enactment
- The Secretary of State for Health may write to Monitor requesting that Monitor consider the de-authorisation of an NHS Foundation Trust.
If a Foundation Trust is more independent from government, who is it accountable to?
We will have more independence from government but will remain part of the NHS, adhere to NHS standards and be inspected by national organisations. The trust will be run by a board of directors, as now, but this board will be accountable to the elected council of governors.
What happens if we don't get FT status?
We believe that not being successful in becoming a Foundation trust will mean that we will lose the opportunity to make the improvements which are planned as a foundation trust. Government policy is that all trusts should become foundation trusts. It is not clear as yet what will happen to trusts who fail to become Foundation Trusts.
Membership and Council of Governors
What does membership mean?
Foundation Trusts are membership organisations. Becoming a member is free and demonstrates that you:
- Support us
- Believe in our values (Kind, Excellent, Responsible, Respectful)
- Care about the services we provide
- Want to hear more from us and celebrate our success
Members will:
- Receive regular news and information from the trust
- Receive invitations to exclusive events and seminars
- Be entitled to vote for and elect the Council of Governors
- Be able to stand for election to the Council of Governors
Our members will elect the majority of our Council of Governors who will represent the views of the membership to the Board of Directors.
More detailed information about membership
What is the role of the Council of Governors?
St George’s currently has a Board of Directors. Once we are a Foundation Trust we will establish a Council of Governors to advise our Board of Directors. The Council of Governors is the body through which the membership maintains dialogue with the Board of Directors. Our members will elect the majority of the Council of Governors.
The Council of Governors will :
- Engage with the Board of Directors on their performance, compliance with the terms of authorisation and other matters related to the general well being of the NHS Foundation Trust.
- Engage with the membership and represent their views to the Board of Directors
- Advise the Board of Directors on strategic plans and service developments
- Appoint the chair and non-executive directors
- Appoint the trust's auditors
More detailed information about Council of Governors
How old do you need to be to join as a member, vote in elections and stand for election to be a governor?
Our plans are for people to be able to join as a member and vote from 14 years old and to stand for election to become a governor at 16.
How many governors will there be and how will they be chosen?
We propose a Council of Governors of 27 people as follows:
- 8 stakeholder governors appointed from local organisations such as local councils and St George's, University of London
- 4 staff governors elected by staff
- 15 public governors elected by public members in the areas which we serve
How will governors be held to account for their performance?
Governors are elected representatives and will be held to account mainly through the membership and elections. If they under perform it is unlikely that they will be re-elected after 3 years. Governors will be given training and support in fulfilling their public role.
How will you encourage patients and members of the public to join the trust as members?
We currently have more than 6,500 public members and are recruiting more all the time. We are currently on a major recruitment drive with users of the hospital and the local population and will report back on the results of that in the near future. There is no upper limit to the number of public members we can have.
General Questions
What about the Mid Staffordshire Hospital scandal?
This scandal led to the Francis report which outlines what needs to be done to prevent this happening again. When these recommendations are implemented by government and changes are made to regulations of hospitals and health services, these will apply to all trusts, whether Foundation Trusts or not. At St George’s we will work hard to maintain the highest possible standards of care whether we become a Foundation Trust or not.
How will complaints about the trust be dealt with?
These will be handled as normal through our complaints procedure, government regulators and, as now, the Parliamentary Ombudsman for Health.