Trust Receives Secretary of State Approval for FT Status
19/01/06
Secretary of State supports Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Trust's Foundation Trust bid
Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has today announced her support for Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Trust's bid to become one of the country's first mental health and learning disability NHS Foundation Trusts.
Secretary of State for Health, Patricia Hewitt said:
"I am very pleased to be able to give my support to Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Trust to go forward to Monitor - the Independent Regulator - to be considered for authorisation as an NHS Foundation Trust. Monitor has made it clear that decisions on authorisation will be made on a robust basis in the interests of patients and the tax-paying public.
"I wish Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Trust well in their application for Foundation Status. If successful, the shift in accountability away from myself and Whitehall and towards the local community and staff will help the Trust become more responsive to the needs of its local community. We already know that Foundation Status is giving NHS hospital trusts the opportunity to innovate with new approaches to providing better quality healthcare services for the benefit of NHS patients and improving accountability to their local populations"
The Secretary of State's approval follows extensive consultation with local people. The Trust can now set up its new governance arrangements, including holding elections to its Council of Governors.
Jeff James, Chief Executive, said:
"We are delighted to have been put forward by the Secretary of State to be a Foundation Trust. The next stage will involve a detailed look at our readiness to take on Foundation Trust status by the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts, Monitor. If Monitor is satisfied with the work that we have done then we will be established as a Foundation Trust sometime between April and July 2006.
He added:
"One of the great opportunities of becoming a Foundation Trust is that local people can become members of the organisation and have a say in what we do. Hundreds of Gloucestershire people have already joined us, and I would like to encourage people who have an interest in the county's mental health and learning disability services to demonstrate their support by becoming a Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust member.
"Working with members, we will focus on the issues that matter in Gloucestershire, improve how we involve local people and staff in the decisions we make and change the face of mental health in Gloucestershire".
Anyone 16 years or over, living in the county and wishing to become a Gloucestershire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust member should telephone 01452 891094 or e-mail foundationconsultation@glos.nhs.uk for an application form. People may also enrol on-line by visiting the Trust's website.
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