The Foundation Group
In 2018 George Eliot Hospitals NHS Trust joined the ‘Foundation Group’ - a partnership with South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) and Wye Valley NHS Trust (WVT) created in 2017. All three organisations face similar challenges and have a common strategic vision for how these can be solved. The Foundation Group model retains the identity of each individual trust whilst strengthening the opportunities available to secure a sustainable future for local health services.
The Foundation Group model has proven beneficial for all the partner organisations and has been highlighted as best practice within the latest national NHS guidance. In light of its success the Group recognised the potential to extend their learning and opportunities for sharing best practice between other organisations facing similar challenges. To support this, the Foundation Group have created an Associate Membership option and in 2021 Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (WAHT) joined as an Associate Member.
There are numerous benefits for local communities across Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire including the provision of a wider platform to share best practice and improving whole system patient pathways.
The three organisations with full membership (SWFT, WVT and GEH) all share a Chief Executive, Glen Burley and Chairman, Russell Hardy. As an Associate Member, WAHT have separate Chief Executive, Matthew Hopkins and Chairman, David Nicholson.