A Summary of Our Plans for Becoming an NHS Foundation Trust
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
B8 A summary of our plans for becoming an NHS Foundation Trust Introduction Foundation Trusts are part of the NHS, are for people and are not-for-profit organisations. Our services will be free at the point of use, just how the NHS is now. The difference is that as a Foundation Trust we will answer to members of the public, and not central government. Foundation Trusts have more freedom to decide how to run their affairs and deliver services and members of our Foundation Trust will have a greater say about how things are run. Becoming a Foundation Trust is an important development for the hospital and what patients think about the services we provide and the way we are run really matters to us. In summary, Foundation Trusts are: • Still part of the NHS; • Free and are not run for profit; • Expected to keep to NHS standards and meet performance targets; and • Inspected regularly. They will: • Give local communities and local people a way of influencing what happens in the trust and the way we develop in the future; • Give us greater freedom about what we do locally and how we do it; • Give us freedom to borrow money to invest in developments, change the way we do things and make services better, quicker, with more choice for local people. We are applying to become a Foundation Trust because: • We believe it will be better for local people and our staff by securing local services at Kingston Hospital. • It will give all people locally a greater say in how things are done. • It will strengthen existing partnership working with bodies like local authorities and the voluntary sector and allow us to work together with others even more in the future. • And we are applying because we are ready to be one, ahead of the government’s timeframe for all Trusts to become Foundation Trusts by 2008. How will the Foundation Trust be run and managed? As a Foundation Trust, patients, the public and our staff will have a greater say in what we do in the future and how we do it. We will still be responsible for running things ‘day-to-day’. However, H:\moderngov\data\published\Intranet\C00000233\M00004895\AI00006345\BxKHTconsultationannex20.doc B9 in future, local people will have the chance to be a member of our Foundation Trust and elect a council of governors who will work with us and oversee what we do. How will things be different? Patients, staff and local people will be given a formal way to become involved in how the Trust is governed and in developing plans for the future. Involvement, as a free member of the Trust, can be as little or as much as members like. • Members will be able to vote for somebody to be on the council of governors or put him or herself up to be a governor if they wish. • If someone chooses to become a member, we will send them information about what we are doing to improve things and invite them to come along to events to learn more about what we do and how we do it. • We will ask for their advice on how we should develop services, and to comment on how well we are doing. For example, changing visiting hours etc. Consultation Process The formal public consultation started on Monday 24th July 2006 and closes at noon on Monday 16 October 2006. The full consultation document sets out our business plan, which describes our vision and strategy for the future of the hospital, the way we propose to govern the hospital and how we will involve patients and the public (through membership) in making decisions in the future. It also lists a series of questions, which will help people formulate their response to these proposals. We recognise that it is essential that we consult widely with our community and effectively with key stakeholders during the consultation process. Therefore, the following promotional activity has been carried out. 1. The full consultation document is available in hard copy and electronic format. Copies are also available in large text as required and we are using our usual method of translating the documents through the Kingston Interpretation Service (KIS). The consultation documents have been posted to over 700 stakeholders (including GPs, Councillors, Schools, Voluntary Sector contacts, interfaith groups, partners, residents associations, nurseries and the National Childbirth Trust). 2. Dedicated Foundation Trust pages have been created on the hospital Internet to house all consultation documents, a feedback email link, news etc. 3. Approximately 20 public meetings have been organised in all geographical areas we want to target - linked to our potential membership base. These meetings are held in the early evenings have been publicised in advance in the local press and around the hospital site. Adverts placed in local press include the Surrey Comet, Kingston Guardian, Kingston Informer, Richmond and Twickenham Times and Esher News and Mail. Posters have also been distributed to all meeting venues, libraries, GP surgeries, leisure centres and local resident associations. See appendix 1 for a full list. 4. We are also holding two ‘drop in’ daytime meetings onsite at the hospital, for members of the public and staff. These have been/are currently being advertised in the local press and posters have been distributed around the hospital. Leaflets advertising the remainder of the meetings has been delivered to all local residents of the hospital and distributed to around 700 partners as part of our AGM invitation letter. H:\moderngov\data\published\Intranet\C00000233\M00004895\AI00006345\BxKHTconsultationannex20.doc B10 5. Press releases are regularly sent to all local papers and Radio Jackie advertising the current public meetings. 6. For our staff, we are using the full range of our internal communication methods such as Keyhole, Monthly Bulletin and Team Briefing to keep them informed as well as holding a number of staff lunchtime briefing sessions. 7. In early September, A5 Leaflets detailing the remainder of the public meeting dates were distributed to 3,000 local residents directly to their door and also handed out to passers by in Richmond town centre. 8. Display stands with information about our FT application, consultation and membership are up in the Bernard Meade main entrance and Outpatients department. 9 A membership letter and A5 flyer, which includes details of our public meetings, has been mailed out to 50,000 local residents in the catchment area. 10. Public meetings are also advertised on the TV information screen in A&E. 11. We have actively written to a number of our key partners such as Korean Church, the Muslim Association, local PCTs, Kingston University, Age Concern in Richmond and Kingston, Kingston Voluntary Action and Richmond Voluntary Action and local secondary schools offering to give their organisations/members our Foundation Trust presentation so that we explain our plans in more detail and answer any questions they may have. The public can tell us what they think in the following ways. They can: • Write to us at FT Consultation, Communications Department, Kingston Hospital, Hanover House, Coombe Road, Kingston Upon Thames, KT2 7AZ. • E-mail us at [email protected] • Visit our website at www.kingstonhospital.nhs.uk • Come to a public meeting between July and October – evenings or daytime. Details of the nearest meetings are available on our website or from the full consultation document. All views and comments received will help us to refine our proposals before we make our formal application to the Secretary of State for Health in November 2006. We might not be able to make all the changes people suggest, but we will consider every response carefully and with an open mind. At the end of the consultation period we will prepare a summary of all the responses we received and the changes we have made to our plans as a result. We can provide respondents/the public with a copy of the summary of responses upon request. The full consultation document is available in hard copy (please telephone 020 8934 3843 for copies) and electronic format on our website www.kingstonhospital.nhs.uk The information is also available in large print and can be translated into other languages by telephoning 020 8934 2003. H:\moderngov\data\published\Intranet\C00000233\M00004895\AI00006345\BxKHTconsultationannex20.doc B11 Financial Update As a result of the combined financial pressure affecting both Kingston PCT and East Elmbridge & Mid Surrey PCT, we are facing a potential £7.5million loss of income between now and the end of the financial year linked to a reduction in the amount of work they commission from us. As a precaution, the Trust has prepared a recovery plan to remove the costs associated with this potential loss of income to avoid us overspending. For the rest of this financial year we need to focus on how we would manage a potential reduction of £7.5m in income. We are in the process of agreeing contingency plans that we can put into place if the activity and income starts to reduce. This could mean a number of bed and theatre closures and the possibility of posts being reduced. This contingency planning is necessary, as we cannot be in a position where we are paying for beds and theatres to be open or clinics to be run when they are not being fully utilised. We are currently consulting with staff on proposals to reduce and restructure some of our bed stock and we will ensure that all staff are kept informed of any changes and are kept up-to-date with the latest events.