Issue - items at meetings - Sussex Community Trust: Foundation Trust Application

Presentation from Sussex Community Trust; consultation documents will be available at the meeting.

87.1    Paula Head, Chief Executive, Sussex Community Trust and Sue Sjuve, Chair, Sussex Community Trust, attended HWOSC as part of the consultation for the Trust’s (SCT) Foundation Trust (FT) application process. They appreciated the support that HWOSC had given them to date and hoped that this could be continued.

87.2    Ms Head and Ms Sjuve gave a presentation on SCT’s work and explained the reasons that they wanted to be approved as a Foundation Trust and then answered members’ questions.

87.3    Members said that the FT application was a long and involved process; how could SCT ensure that their other priorities were being covered as well.

Ms Head said that the FT application helped the core part of their business, it focused on the Trust’s ability to deliver excellent care. It was necessary to demonstrate very high quality care in order to take the FT application further.

Ms Sjuve added that she had had numerous years’ experience of working in the private sector. The level of scrutiny that SCT faced for their FT application was much higher than she had seen in the private sector, members should feel reassured that services were being closely inspected and were delivering well.

87.4    Members asked how staff governors would be elected and how having one union governor would enable fair representation.

Ms Head said that all staff automatically became members of the trust; they were able to put themselves forward to stand as a governor and other staff members would then vote for their preferred governors. With regard to Trade Unions, she expected that the unions would work together and nominate a governor collectively. They would be on the Board in order to shape the FT rather than other union matters.

Ms Sjuve gave a bit more information about how anybody could become involved in the FT. There were effectively three layers of membership and indiviuals pick which level they would prefer to be. The first level is merely to have information about SCT and have a level of awareness about their work. The second level would be to take part in focus groups etc, and the third level is for people who would like to be a governor. All HWOSC members were invited to become members.

87.5    Members asked what SCT would like from HWOSC members at this stage. Ms Sjuve said that they would like HWOSC’s formal support for becoming an FT. It would also be useful to have any comments on the proposed governance arrangements, these would be taken into account as part of the consultation process.

87.6    Ms Head said that it was true that SCT had to become a FT. If this did not happen, they cannot stay as they are and they would have to merge with another FT. If the SCT’s plans are approved, this will give staff and patients a much greater level of stability for the future.

87.7    The Chair said that HWOSC members would be asked for their feedback. This would be fed back to SCT as part of the consultation process.