Published: 13/10/2005 Volume 115 No. 5976 Page 7
The current requirement for trusts applying for foundation status to have three stars for financial management should be lifted, according to the director of the Foundation Trust Network.
Sue Slipman told HSJ that the system, based on the Healthcare Commission's now-defunct ratings, was 'irrelevant' because it only considered past financial performance.
She said she would prefer a decision on whether a trust could apply for foundation status to be based on Monitor's financial assessment, which looks at financial planning for five years from authorisation.
'We do not want to lower the bar, but trusts that have lost a financial star should be allowed to apply because Monitor's assessment is based on five years looking forward, ' said Ms Slipman.
She said that Monitor's financial assessment should be seen as the 'gold standard' and warned against 'setting the starting pistols on things that become irrelevant'.
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