Foundation Trust
Securing a sustainable future
Pursuing Foundation Trust status
At the Trust’s September 2011 Board meeting, it was agreed by the Board of Directors that the Trust will no longer seek to pursue foundation trust status as a ‘standalone’ organisation, and instead look for a ‘partner’ organisation, with whom we can work to secure a strong and sustainable future for the George Eliot and local healthcare services.
Over recent months and weeks we have been involving staff and local stakeholders in our discussions around our potential future ‘organisational model’ and we have been very open about the challenges we would face in attaining authorisation to proceed to FT status alone, due to the clinical and financial sustainability of some of our services. These challenges are faced by many similarly sized Trusts nationally and there is a wider debate taking place regarding the sustainability of smaller acute hospitals across England.
By choosing to seek an alternative way of working, we remain in control of the process and, on behalf of the Board, we give our absolute assurance that any potential options for the future will be assessed against a robust set of criteria that will prioritise the best interests of local people, patients and our staff.
Support with the process
We have received the backing of the Strategic Health Authority and the Department of Health to develop and explore a range of options regarding our future organisational ‘shape’. Throughout the process, that is expected to take 12-18 months, we will be providing opportunities for staff, stakeholders, patients and members of the public to become involved in shaping those options and giving their views.
The options
It is early days in the process and we are very much on the 'front-foot' with our emerging model for how clinical services might look in the future.
So far we have developed the 'Strategic Outline Case' (SOC) which examines the long list of options we have carefull considered for sustaining our future. From that long list, a short list of six options has been identified. This 'SOC' was presented to the public board meeting on 30th November 2011 and a copy can be accessed from the board papers by clicking here. The next phase of the project is to refine the suitability of these options.
We are absolutely confident that we will be able to identify a solution for the future that maintains local accountability and ensures local people continue to access the right treatment in the right place at the right time.
Please use the links on the left and below to see more about the project and how you might get involved:
Public involvement
Information centre
Click here to access the Trust's Tripartite Formal Agreement
If you have a question that you would like answering, please us the enquiry form on the 'contact us' page that can be found on the left hand side of the web page.
