Trust receives go-ahead for ‘Northumbria Foundation Group’
Trust becoms one of only four organisations in England.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has today become one of only four organisations in England given the green light to establish a ‘foundation group’ which will help drive innovation and improvement across the NHS.
NHS Improvement* has accredited four high performing NHS foundation trusts to become foundation group leaders. Together, they will spearhead new ways of working, sharing expertise and best practice to help improve quality and efficiency throughout the NHS for the wider benefit of patient care.
Widely recognised as one of the country’s top performing NHS foundation trusts and one of only five nationally to be rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the Northumbria Foundation Group has been created to help the trust share its knowledge, expertise and support to other NHS organisations across the country.
Through the Northumbria Foundation Group, a range of clinical and corporate support services will be available to other parts of the NHS, using proven best practice models to improve productivity and clinical effectiveness, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care, experience and quality of services.
Mr David Evans, chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our vision for Northumbria Foundation Group is very simple – it is about sharing our experiences and the knowledge we have gained, to collaborate with other organisations for the greater good of the NHS as a whole.
“For many years we have been at the forefront of innovation in the NHS, pushing the boundaries of excellence, pioneering new models of care and always thinking one step ahead about the challenges of delivering modern healthcare. The NHS is constantly changing, the needs of our patients are constantly changing and as medicine and technology advances, we must keep pace and create a healthcare system which switches our focus on prevention and keeping people well.
“We are very proud to play our part in embracing these national challenges which the NHS is collectively facing and, through the Northumbria Foundation Group, being able to share what we know to help other organisations achieve our common goals of improving quality of care, reducing costs and, ultimately, reinvesting in frontline patient services.”
Through the Northumbria Foundation Group and other foundation group leaders, the aim is to link organisations together to improve clinical and financial viability, create better and more sustainable services for patients and improve efficiency and the quality of clinical services by sharing excellent practice. The other foundation group leaders accredited by NHS Improvement today are:
- Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust - Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust - Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust.
All four foundation group trusts are ‘acute care collaboration’ vanguards, part of the new care models programme led by NHS England, which is pioneering new models of care to respond to the challenges outlined in the NHS Five Year Forward View.
The accreditation process looked at each potential Foundation Group leader’s current quality and financial performance and management capacity and capability to ensure they are starting from a sound position to deliver their plans.
Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS Improvement, said: “Today is a big step forward for the NHS. It is a great example of how we can ensure as many patients as possible benefit from the best leadership the NHS has to offer.
“Being in a group isn’t right for everyone. The accreditation process considered not only the quality of services on offer and the management trusts have, but also the benefits that trusts will get from being part of a group and the potential risks they face.”
Minister for Community Health and Care David Mowat said: “For the NHS to continue to improve care and benefit patients, it is vital that trusts can share best practice and learn from each other. The new foundation group leaders will not only drive up standards, but support the innovative new models of care programme that is delivering positive change across the NHS.”