2 St Helens & Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust Application for Foundation Status PDF 70 KB
Minutes:
The Board received a presentation from Mr. Chris Knights from St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals Trust regarding its application for Foundation Status. The presentation outlined:
· how foundation trusts were different;
· the benefits and risks;
· the reporting arrangements;
· the governance arrangements; and
· the next steps.
Under the Health & Social Care Act 2003, St Helens and
Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust had applied to become an NHS Foundation Trust (often
called Foundation Hospitals). The consultation period of 12 weeks commenced
Monday, 27 February 2006 and ended on Monday, 22 May 2006, with a decision to
be taken by the Summer 2006.
St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust provided the full range of general treatments to its local population covering St Helens, Knowsley, Halton and South Liverpool. The Trust also operated Regional Burns and Plastic services across the North West of England and the Isle of Man. There were two principle sites, Whiston Hospital, comprising 724 beds, and St. Helens Hospital comprising 232.
As part of being controlled and run locally, governance and
accountability would be improved by the establishment of:
·
a Board of Governors made up of elected
patient/public governors (14), representatives from key stakeholders/partner
organisations such as Local Authorities, PCTs and Universities (9) and staff
(4); and
The Trust believed that flexibility and freedoms arising from Foundation
Status would enhance their ability to shape healthcare services in response to
the above average levels of chronic diseases arising from the severe health
inequalities, social disadvantage and social exclusion evident in the
population it serves. The Trust was
also committed to strengthening its links with the local community through the
introduction of members and governors.
There was also a financial benefit in being able to retain or build up
surpluses as well as borrow monies to develop services.
Arising from the discussion the Board made reference to a number of issues in relation ... view the full minutes text for item 2