Assembly Member Mick Bates has welcomed the news that the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital in Oswestry is consulting with Welsh patients on plans to become an NHS Foundation Trust, but warns that the current standard of care and good governance must be maintained before the status is granted, to ensure that the move does not jeopardise the future delivery of health care to Montgomeryshire patients.
The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust is moving forward in its application to become an NHS Foundation Trust. As part of the next stage of public consultation, a series of meetings are being held to which people are warmly invited. These meetings will comprise a presentation and questions to members of the Trust Board. All people are welcome to show their support by coming along to hear about how they can be involved in shaping future services at the hospital.
The public meetings started at the beginning of December and are continuing as follows:
NHS Foundation Trust Consultation – Public Meetings:
Wednesday 6th January: 2010 Royal Oak Hotel, Welshpool 6pm
Monday 11th January: RJAH Denbigh’s Func Room Open Day
Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat AM Mick Bates states:
“Over a third of the patients treated at the Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen are from Wales, so I am delighted that the hospital is recognising the importance of cross-border consultation by embracing the views of its Welsh patients on this issue.
“The status of a Foundation Trust would award more independence to the Trust in terms of how it operates which is welcome, as it would give the Trust more freedom to prioritise local needs and would be more locally accountable. The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Trust has performed extremely well in the most recent performance ratings, both in terms of quality of service and financial management, so I am confident that it would continue to operate very effectively under this new status.
“However, it is crucial to ensure that the good governance and excellent standard of care that currently exists is maintained under a strong regulatory structure before the status is adopted. Only then will this ensure that the hospital is in a viable position to move forward into Foundation Trust status and not jeopardise the future delivery of health care to Montgomeryshire patients, but instead be an improvement to the excellent standard of care and treatment that they currently receive at this facility.”
Chief Executive, Wendy Farrington Chadd is optimistic about this step forward and said:
“We have a strong track record of working in partnership with our local communities. Becoming a Foundation Trust will give us the best opportunity to work with our patients, our staff and the many people who support us locally and nationally to work in partnership to improve the services we deliver. We hope you will join us at one of our meetings.”
