Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the removal of Council of Governors from foundation trusts on the governance of those trusts.

The removal of the councils of governors from National Health Service foundation trusts (FTs) forms part of the wider aim of the 10-Year Health Plan to ensure that hospitals put patient experiences and outcomes at the heart of their decision-making. The regulatory functions supporting oversight of the governance of FTs are underpinned by the NHS provider licence which will continue.

While governors elected by the public and other stakeholders have provided helpful advice and oversight for some FTs, we now need to move to a more dynamic model, drawing on patient, staff, and stakeholder insight. For example, approaches to engagement that better reflect local demographics and geography rather than a ‘one size fits all’ governor model, as well as supporting an increasing focus on the outcomes of the engagement, including the evidence that local people are involved in key decisions about how care is provided and their voices are listened to.