Foundation trusts are part of the NHS and follow the principles and standards of the NHS - for example, not charging people for their care, not being run for profit, and being subject to regular inspection.
Foundation trusts have greater financial freedoms to design services best suited to the communities they serve.
As a foundation trust we are regulated by Monitor, the independent regulator for foundation trusts.
The difference is that foundation trusts are able to work more closely with communities to develop services in the way that best suits their needs and also have greater financial freedoms.
Foundation trusts have members from their local communities - put simply, anyone interested in what the trust does - who elect representatives to act as governors.
Governance of a foundation trust is prescribed by legislation, to comprise of members, governors and the board of directors. The members may be patients, staff or the general public who have an interest in the trust. The governors are appointed by the members and represent members through a number of constituencies, such as staff governors, stakeholder governors (for example police, local authority) as well public governors appointed from the general membership who may represent patients or carers.
The governors work with our trust's board of directors to agree the future plans of the organisation. The governors also have the right to appoint the trust's chairperson and non-executive directors.
Governors have a number of statutory functions including: appointment and removal of chairman and non executive directors, setting of allowances for chairman and non executive directors, approve the appointment of the chief executive, scrutiny of the annual plan and appointment of the auditors, as well as receiving the annual audit report.
For more information about foundation trusts, please follow the links below:
