Issue - meetings

            The Board considered a joint report of the Strategic Directors of Health and Community, and Children and Young People, regarding key issues and concerns relating to the application for Foundation Status by the Royal Liverpool Children’s NHS Trust.

            It was reported that Foundation Trusts were to be at the cutting edge of a wider programme of public sector reform with the intention of offering more diversity and patient choice, enabling leadership, innovation and initiative to flourish as part of the local health economy and replacing central control from Whitehall with accountability to the local community. National debate was ongoing in this respect and implications and key questions were outlined within the report for the Board’s consideration.

It was noted that the Trust had applied for Foundation Status under the Health and Social Care Act 2003 and, as the consultation period had ended on Monday, 23^rd October 2006, a letter had been sent from the Health and Social Care, and Children and Young People, Portfolio Holders in response.

RESOLVED: That

(1)            Halton Borough Council seeks clarity and reassurance as to what Foundation Status will actually mean for the residents and families of Halton in receipt of patient care;

(2)            reassurance be sought that high cost and low caseload interventions will not be under threat in the context of a market driven by choice and competition;

(3)            clarification should be sought as to whether the funding arrangements, assessment of need, nature of the workforce and the range of provision will change as a result of Foundation status;

(4)            the Trust should make clear its policy on generating income;

(5)            clarification should be sought with respect to the composition of the council of governors and the process for selecting representatives; and

(6)            the impact of this policy (i.e. to foster innovation and change in acute hospitals) on the ability of Primary Care Trusts to invest in preventive, primary, community and intermediate care should be carefully monitored by the Healthy Halton Policy and Performance Board.