Patients & the public

Getting involved in the running of your NHS Foundation Trust

NHS Foundation Trusts are new NHS bodies established in law. They provide for greater local ownership by, and involvement of, patients, local people and hospital staff. The principles behind NHS Foundation Trusts build on the sense of ownership that many local people, including staff, feel for their hospital.

Anyone who lives in the area, works for the trust, or, in some cases, who has recently been a patient there, can become a member of an NHS Foundation Trust. This gives staff and local people a real stake in the future of their hospital and enables them to elect representatives to serve on the Board of Governors. The Board of Governors will work with the Board of Directors – responsible for day-to-day running of the Trust – to ensure that the NHS Foundation Trust delivers NHS care and acts in a way that is consistent with the terms of its authorisation. In this way, the Board of Governors will play a role in helping to set the overall direction of the organisation.

A list of NHS Foundation Trusts, together with contact details, can be found on the Public Register of NHS Foundation Trusts.