NHS Foundation Trust

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NHS Foundation Trusts (often referred to as "foundation hospitals") are hospitals which are part of the NHS in England but have a significant amount of managerial and financial freedom. The introduction of NHS Foundation Trusts represents a profound change in the history of the NHS and the way in which hospital services are managed and provided.

This form of NHS Trust is an important part of the UK Government's programme to create a "patient-led" NHS. Whilst their stated purpose is to devolve decision-making from a centralised NHS to local communities in an effort to be more responsive to their needs and wishes, others however see the change towards semi-independent hospital boards as a move towards privatisation of the health service.

The first 10 such Trusts were approved on 1 April 2004, and another 10 were approved on 1 July 2004; in January 2005, another 5 were approved. They are approved and regulated by Monitor, the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts.

As of August 2006, there are thirty-four NHS Foundation Trusts [1]:

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