Home > News > Foundation Trust public consultation will shape the future of St George’s

Published: 1 Feb 2013

St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is today, Friday 1st February, launching its public consultation on becoming a Foundation Trust. The trust is inviting its staff, patients and members of the public to have their say on the membership and governance proposals which will determine how St George’s is governed in the future.

St George’s is one of the country’s leading healthcare institutions, known for its expertise in services such as major trauma, stroke, children’s healthcare services and cancer, as well as being an historic hub of healthcare education and research, sharing its main hospital site with St George’s, University of London, in Tooting, south west London.

Becoming a Foundation Trust is an essential and significant milestone for the organisation, one it aims to achieve by April 2014. Foundation Trusts are different from existing NHS Trusts as they are more financially flexible, are free from central government control and have different governance arrangements.

This additional freedom enables Foundation Trusts to make more decisions about their own future – decisions they reach with input from the communities and patients they serve.

Miles Scott, trust chief executive, said: “This is an important time for the trust and its future as a major healthcare provider. Over the coming years we have some ambitious aims for developing our healthcare.

“We want to make research a part of our everyday business so that we can advance our understanding of healthcare. We aim to modernise our services and develop ways of caring for more people in the comfort of their own homes. We also want to invest in our workforce so patients can be confident that they are being looked after by the most skilled clinicians.

“The future for St George’s is very exciting and as a Foundation Trust the communities we serve can have a greater say over our plans by becoming members and electing a Council of Governors.

“This consultation is about finding out what people think of our plans to become a Foundation Trust – what our membership could look like, and how a Council of Governors will influence decisions.

“I would encourage everyone to respond and play an essential role in helping us to shape our proposals.”

Christopher Smallwood, trust chairman, said: “Developing our membership and Council of Governors will increase the trust’s accountability to patients, staff and the public, which will result in real benefits for all of our stakeholders.

“We will carefully consider feedback on our proposals from the wider community, so that we can become a Foundation Trust which continues to deliver high quality and compassionate healthcare.”

The public consultation runs for 12 weeks, and will end on Friday 26th April 2013. Any member of the public is invited to have their say. The trust’s proposals are outlined comprehensively in the full consultation document, which can be read on the St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust website or downloaded here.

Please click here to complete the survey.

Please click here to become a member of the Trust

 

 

Notes to editors

Taking part in the consultation
The full public consultation document can be downloaded from the St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust website, www.xstgeorges.nhs.uk. Hard copies are also available on request from the trust. Members of the public can respond to the consultation using the following methods:

  • Complete the questionnaire in the full consultation document and return by Friday 26th April 2013 to:
    Membership Office
    FREEPOST RSGZ-UJJH-THEB
    Ground floor, Grosvenor Wing
    St George’s Hospital
    Blackshaw Road
    London
    SW17 0QT
  • Complete the questionnaire online at www.xstgeorges.nhs.uk
  • Email feedback to consultation@stgeorges.nhs.uk
  • Call 020 8266 6132 to discuss the consultation further with our membership team

There will be five events hosted at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust sites where members of the public can hear more about the trust’s plans. Times and venues for these events are as follows:

  • Monday 11th February, 13.00 – 14.00hrs
    Michael Heron Lecture Theatre, St George’s Hospital, Tooting
  • Tuesday 19th February, 18.00 – 19.00hrs
    Barnes and Richmond rooms, Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton
  • Thursday 7th March, 11.00 – 12.00hrs
    Michael Heron Lecture Theatre, St George’s Hospital, Tooting
  • Tuesday 2nd April, 13.00 – 14.00hrs
    Barnes and Richmond rooms, Queen Mary’s Hospital, Roehampton
  • Wednesday 3rd April, 18.00 – 19.00hrs
    Michael Heron Lecture Theatre, St George’s Hospital, Tooting

About Foundation Trusts
Foundation Trusts (FTs) are firmly part of the NHS and remain free at the point of use. They are subject to NHS standards, performance ratings and systems of inspection.

FTs are also membership organisations from which a Council of Governors will be elected. The Council will engage with the membership and represent members’ views when decisions are made about future trust strategy, and will work closely with the trust’s Board of Directors.

All NHS Trusts must become Foundation Trusts by 2014.

About membership
The trust has been recruiting members for a number of years and already has 12,000 members, 5,000 of which are from the public. To become a member of St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust:

For more information and for high resolution photography, please contact the Communications Unit on 020 8725 5151 or email: communications@stgeorges.nhs.uk. Outside working hours, please page us by calling 0844 822 2888, leaving a short message and contact details for pager SG548. High res photos available on request.