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St Mary’s hospital to be given new powers
Andy Tristem
ST MARY'S is set to become one of the government's flagship foundation trust hospitals.
Health Secretary John Reid last week approved St Mary's preliminary application for trust status.
Bosses at the hospital will now draw up detailed plans to go before the Department of Heath (DoH).
Foundation status would free St Mary's from DoH control. It would mean that bosses could borrow cash from banks and increase spending in areas of local need.
The DoH has traditionally imposed strict spending rules on hospitals.St Mary's director Jasbir Sunner is leading the drive for foundation status. He said: "We would not have to report to central government and would be more flexible on local issues. At the moment we are held to very strict national targets.
"Under foundation status we could focus on coronary heart disease (CHD) rather than cancer if we found that the local community suffered more from CHD.
"We could borrow more widely and would be allowed to spend budget surpluses."
He said that the trust would be run by a board of directors selected from staff, patients and members of the community.
He said: "Right now we have to submit projects to the DoH which reviews them along with about 2,000 from other hospitals. Under foundation status, projects would be submitted for the board and governors to approve."
The trust's performance would be assessed by the health watchdog Monitor, which could award extra funds if the hospital performed well.
Mr Sunner said: "Monitor will look at the severity of the cases we take and how good the outcomes are. If we do well then the hospital would be given more funds. Payment by results is the way the NHS is going."
To apply for foundation status, a hospital must have achieved a top three-star rating from the Healthcare Commission. St Mary's has been awarded the mark for the last three years.
St Mary's bosses will now consult residents about the plans.
Karen Buck, MP for Regent's Park and Kensington North, said: "Any initiative that continues to provide resources at St Mary's is welcome. I hope that all efforts will be made to ensure that St Mary's continues to be run for the community."
andy.tristem@hamhigh.co.uk
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