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Advanced foundation trust status is a marker of excellence for health providers with NHS England confirming that North West Ambulance Service and Yorkshire Ambulance Service are on the list of 16 organisations selected for assessment under this programme.
Described by the NHS as ‘a marker of excellence for high-performing NHS trusts’, advanced foundation trust status gives frontline NHS leaders more freedoms to make decisions locally and to improve services for communities.
For NWAS and YAS, passing the assessment means they will benefit from a streamlined and strategic approach to annual planning, a capability-based approach to oversight and targeted financial flexibilities allowing their leadership to direct surpluses from day-to-day spending towards future capital projects.
Chief Executive Salman Desai thanked the 8,000 staff at NWAS adding: “It’s a proud moment to be included in the programme so early as it reflects the positive position the organisation is in.”
Only six NHS organisations currently have advanced foundation trust status and NHS England says it wants all trusts and foundation trusts to achieve this by 2035 subject to proposed changes to legislation being passed by Parliament coming into effect.
The Advanced Foundation Trust Programme is part of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan, which sets out the vision of reinvigorating and reinventing the foundation trust model for the modern integrated health system.
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