20 July 2007
NHS foundation trusts have insisted they are delivering better services, but that to continue improving they need more freedoms.
In a report to mark three years since the creation of the semi-autonomous bodies, foundations said they had moved away from centrally driven targets. With a membership base of 740,000 in the 70 trusts, they were 'locally owned' organisations.
A survey in the report, NHS foundation trusts: the story so far, found that foundations believed their boards of governors had made them more locally accountable.
Almost a quarter said their new freedoms had enabled them to implement projects previously beyond their reach, while 22% said the attention to costs was driving up efficiency and boosting productivity.
Sue Slipman, director of the Foundation Trust Network, which published the report, said: 'We need a demonstrable commitment to devolution and localism, which means fewer constraints on foundation trust financial and operating freedoms, and we need to have more streamlined regulation.'
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