Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what requirements his Department has placed on NHS Trusts to consult Governors prior to any changes to services provided by those Trusts.

The National Health Service has published documentation to guide public, staff, and Governor involvement in proposed services changes.

The guidance document ‘Engaging local people: A guide for local areas developing Sustainability and Transformation Plans’ was published in September 2016 and contains relevant information on public involvement and consultation. Clinical commissioning groups and NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts are also required to have regard to relevant guidance. However, where there are concerns on patient safety grounds, the normal procedures for public consultation do not apply.

With regard to staff, NHS Improvement’s November 2017 document ‘Transactions guidance – for trusts undertaking transactions, including mergers and acquisitions’ sets out how NHS Improvement works closely with the NHS trust board to ensure staff are engaged in any transaction process. NHS Improvement would look for evidence of engagement with key staff and stakeholders as evidence of good practice through its assessment process.

Governors, in foundation trusts only, are required by law to represent the interests of both members of the NHS foundation trust and of the public. They may choose a range of different ways to engage with these groups. NHS Improvement is aware of a number of methods that some Councils of Governors have chosen to adopt, such as Governor “drop-in days” where members and the public can come and meet Governors, and surveys.