Foundation Trust boards
Foundation Trusts are a relatively new type of organisation, but they provide hospital and community health services as part of the NHS in the same way as NHS Trusts. They may be a single hospital, a group of hospitals or may provide community health services to patients in clinics or their own homes.
Foundation Trusts have more freedom than NHS Trusts to manage their finances and decide how best to improve the services they provide to their patients.
They are controlled and run locally and, provided that they meet national standards, there is no intervention by the Department of Health. The first NHS foundation trusts were established in April 2004 and the Government is committed to all NHS trusts being given the opportunity to apply for foundation status at the earliest opportunity.
Foundation Trusts have a board of governors who are elected from the local population, patients and staff to direct the work of the Trust. They in turn appoint a chair and non-executives to a management board. This board has a similar composition of executive and non-executive members to an NHS Trust board and directs the day-to-day activities of the Trust.
Foundation Trusts receive most of their income through contracts with Primary Care Trusts.