Local people to control foundation hospitals
pharmafile | October 21, 2003 | News story | |
Local people are to play a major role in deciding how the new, more autonomous foundation hospitals are to be run.
Health Secretary Alan Milburn announced the plans as part of the more detailed outline of how the not-for-profit trusts will work, revealing that local people will be able to elect the hospital board members, and even stand for election themselves.
"We have got to make sure we get this right, it is a very big change", Mr Milburn told the BBC.
"Effectively, what we will be doing is passing control and ownership from state ownership to genuine local public ownership."
Current top-performing 'three-star' hospitals will be eligible to take on foundation status, allowing them to control their own clinical and financial priorities with the aim of improving standards of patient care.
Mr Milburn's idea is based on similar models of care in Denmark, Spain and Sweden but have attracted a great deal of controversy, with opposition from Chancellor Gordon Brown threatening to derail the plans.
Mr Brown had feared that the hospitals could wreck treasury spending plans but has now been reassured by plans to create an independent regulator to monitor the overall performance of the trusts.
Fears persist, however, that the system will create a two-tier NHS, with the top-performing hospitals draining money and the best healthcare professionals from the rest of the service.
Shadow Health Secretary Dr Liam Fox says all hospitals should be given the chance to take on foundation status.
"We can't understand why the Government is intent seemingly on bringing in a two-tier system, unless it is a starter for a whole system that will be extended throughout the whole NHS."
