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North East NHS first in England to achieve foundation trust status

The North East NHS has become the first and only region in the whole of England to have all of its NHS trusts awarded Foundation Trust status.

The independent regulator Monitor awarded the foundation status to the NHS trust and the North East Ambulance Trust, which will now give them more control over organising services to meet local needs and priorities.

The new Foundation Trust will form a key part of the government’s healthcare reforms, which requires all NHS providers to achieve Foundation Trust status or become part of a Foundation Trust by April 2014.

Ian Dalton, chief executive of NHS North East expressed his delight at the announcement.

He commented: “All trusts have to go through a rigorous and detailed assessment process to achieve foundation status and show they are delivering services to meet local needs, managing within budget and have clear, robust plans in place for the future.

“Today’s news is a testament to the hard work and commitment of all staff at North East Service and NHS Foundation Trust and further recognition of how well the NHS in this part of the country is progressing.”

The Health Minister Simon Burns awarded the Trust foundation status after it successfully demonstrated it has the capacity to operate effectively as an independent organisation on a permanent basis.

He added: “The communities in the North East will now have a greater say in how their local ambulance service is delivered through a locally elected board of governors.

“It is great news that every acute, mental health and ambulance trust in the North East is now an NHS foundation trust - the first region in England to achieve this, allowing health services to be even more responsive to the needs and wishes of local communities.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .