Hospitals hit the big league

Stafford and Cannock hospital staff were today celebrating promotion to the "premier league" – after achieving their goal of becoming an NHS Foundation Trust.

Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Staffordshire General and Cannock Chase hospitals, has been given approval to become the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust from February 1.

Staffordshire General will be renamed Stafford Hospital but the Cannock hospital will keep its name.

It follows a searching investigation by the FT regulator Monitor to make sure the trust was well-managed and financially strong.

"This is the healthcare equivalent of promotion to the premier league and heralds an exciting new era for our hospitals, in which local people will have more say than ever in helping us to make improvements and to achieve the best services for our local population," said trust chief executive Martin Yeates.

"We know that, although we have made many improvements in the services we provide to the 300,000 patients we see each year, there are times when we could do better.

"Becoming a Foundation Trust will help us to deliver a vast range of improvements over the next five years – including expansions to rheumatology and orthopaedic services, the further development of cardiology services and the creation of a centre of excellence for dermatology." Foundation trusts are still part of the NHS but have more financial freedom to develop services best suited to local needs, along with greater involvement from patients and the public in deciding what they want from their local hospitals.

The trust won overwhelming local support for its plans to become an foundation trust following a 12-week public consultation last year and has so far recruited more than 3,100 public members and 3,000 staff members.

Trust chairman Toni Brisby said: "This is the start of a new era for our hospitals, patients, staff and local population.

"Our slogan is 'forward together' – and we now look forward to shaping our services for the future, together with our members and governors.

"While we already have a considerable number of members, we are always looking for more – and I encourage everybody to join.

"Members can get as much involved as they wish, from simply receiving information to taking part in events or even standing for election as a governor."