New Foundation Trusts

• Abstract
• Characteristics of this policy
• Purpose and process analysis
• Expected outcome
• References

Abstract

In January 2005, five hospitals were given the authorisation to become Foundation Trusts. The total number of Foundation Trusts now stands at twenty-five. Moreover, it was announced that a further thirty-two hospitals would be allowed to apply for Foundation Trust status.

Neue Entwicklungen

current    previous

I believe that this policy is an innovation that may lack real substance, in that it seems to run counter to the institutional set up of the NHS.

Purpose and process analysis

Current Process Stages

	Idee	Pilotprojekt	Strategiepapier	Gesetzgebung	Umsetzung	Evaluation	Veränderung/Richtungswechsel
Implemented in this survey?

Initiators of idea/main actors

• Regierung

• Leistungserbringer

• Meinungsführer

Stakeholder positions

The current Labour Government is committed to their policy of awarding Foundation Trust status to hospitals that perform well on the following six criteria: responsiveness to patients, clinical standards, leadership & management, commitment and support of staff, partnership working and stakeholder support, and financial support. Once a hospital is awarded Foundation Trust status, its managers are given greater autonomy over such issues as how they might meet performance standards and how they pay their staff. The Government believes that this policy will improve hospital innovation and responsiveness to local populations. However, there is a degree of scepticism in the specialist health policy community over how much autonomy can really be given to hospitals in a system where central Government is ultimately held accountable by the electorate for the performance and organisation of the health care system.  

Actors and positions

Regierung
Minister of Health	sehr unterstützend		stark dagegen
Leistungserbringer
The NHS	sehr unterstützend		stark dagegen
Meinungsführer
Health care specialists	sehr unterstützend		stark dagegen
current    previous

Influences in policy making and legislation

There are no substantive new developments, other than that the Government intends to continue awarding Foundation Trust status to hospitals that satisfy its performance criteria.

Actors and influence

Regierung
Minister of Health	sehr groß		kein
Leistungserbringer
The NHS	sehr groß		kein
Meinungsführer
Health care specialists	sehr groß		kein
current    previous

Positions and Influences at a glance

Adoption and implementation

There are currently twenty-five Foundation Trusts. A further ten are seeking to become Foundation Trusts from April 1st 2005. The Minister for Health has recently announced that a further thirty-two hospitals are now able to apply for this status. The Government intends that all NHS Trusts will be in a position to apply for Foundation Trust status by 2008.

Monitoring and evaluation

A regulatory agency called Monitor assesses the performance of Foundation Trusts. Poor performing Foundation Trusts can lose their status. The Government has used selective evidence to highlight why they believe this policy has so far been a success. For example, they have stated that Homerton University Hospital Foundation Trust has been able to begin the building of a new perinatal centre two years ahead of schedule, and that Moorfields Hospital has also been two years ahead of the schedule that it would have had if it had remained an NHS Trust in beginning the development of a new £15 million clinical facility.

Expected outcome

Its too early to tell whether or not Foundation Trusts will be a success. But it is difficult for me to believe that these bodies will be allowed very much autonomy in a system where the Government is held directly accountable for health care, and where uniform national standards of care are used by academics, the media and the general public as an indicator of the system's success.

Impact of this policy

Qualität	kaum Einfluss		starker Einfluss
Gerechtigkeit	System weniger gerecht		System gerechter
Kosteneffizienz	sehr gering		sehr hoch
current    previous

The policy seems ill judged, but it is too early to state whether or not the policy will ultimately prove to be a success.

References

Sources of Information

http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/PressReleases/PressReleasesNotices/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4100285&chk=l/wKN/

http://www.nhsft-regulator.gov.uk/

http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/PressReleases/PressReleasesNotices/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4101507&chk=G4s%2Be0

Reform formerly reported in

NHS Foundation Trust Process Stages: none

Author/s and/or contributors to this survey

Adam Oliver

Empfohlene Zitierweise für diesen Online-Artikel:

Adam Oliver. "New Foundation Trusts". Health Policy Monitor, March 2005. Available at http://www.hpm.org/survey/gb/a5/2