Foundation Trust governance: Network Rail and NHS Direct

There has been some debate about the effectiveness of the governance of NHS Foundation Trusts – in particular, the poor levels of participation seen in some Trusts. However, it is interesting to see that there is an emerging campaign to reform the governance of Network Rail along the lines of Foundation Trusts. In the aftermath of the new year “Network Fail” engineering works, some stakeholders of Network Rails are frustrated by the lack of accountability seen in the organisation.

On the issue of Foundation Trust governance, there is a big opportunity for everyone to have a say in a widely used NHS service. NHS Direct receives 120,000 calls every week. Now it is seeking Foundation Trust status and, hence, asking members of the public to join as Trust members. Its Foundation Trust zone is here.