Monitor defers foundation trust application of NHS trust in Liverpool
Monitor has deferred Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust’s application to become a foundation trust for 12 months.
The trust provides specialist and acute services to more than 465,000 people across Liverpool.
Following a rigorous assessment, Monitor concluded that the trust has shown improvements in the way it manages the quality of its care, but its current financial planning needs further work. The trust has taken steps to strengthen its board, which needs to further develop robust plans to provide good value for money services for patients in the long term.
Miranda Carter, Executive Director of Provider Appraisal at Monitor, said:
We are deferring our decision on whether Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen should become a foundation trust for a year.
In light of the new hospital it is building we want to give the trust more time to improve its financial plans. The next year will also give the trust time to induct new board members and to develop its plans to participate in Healthy Liverpool to improve care across Liverpool.
There are currently 151 NHS foundation trusts in England - over 60% of all trusts in the NHS. Foundation trust status gives patients a greater say in their healthcare, and foundation trusts have more freedom to shape services to match the needs of local people. NHS foundation trusts are:
- free from central government control and able to decide how to improve their services
- able to retain any surpluses they generate to invest in new services, and borrow money to support these investments
- accountable to their local communities, with local people as members and governors